Celebrate Open Access Week

International Open Access Week is in full swing with several universities, colleges, and other institutions combining their efforts to introduce and celebrate open access efforts throughout the world. Open Access (OA) is the freely available, electronic access to scholarly research with the intention of use and re-use. An OA journal attracts more readers, citations, and submissions because of its accessibility and exposure in the research community. Open Access journals are peer-reviewed by editors who donate their time and efforts. More information about Open Access Week can be found at http://www.openaccessweek.org/.

A recent report in the journal Nature shows that at least 50% of articles published since 2011 are now available for free online, and Peter Suber, director of the Office for Scholarly Communication at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says this number “…confirms my optimism. When researchers hit a paywall online, they turn to Google to search for free copies – and, increasingly, they are finding them.”

Hope College seeks to provide access to the published scholarship of its faculty to as many people as possible. Digital Commons @ Hope College contains faculty scholarship and creative performance along the lines of articles, books, book chapters, op-ed pieces, musical and dance performances, movies, choreography, artist exhibits and more. Scholarship can be submitted through the Digital Commons @ Hope College web site with the appropriate submission forms or by emailing digitalcommons@hope.edu. Learn more about Hope’s Open Access policy and how to participate.