PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New evidence of the power of open access

2010-10-19
(Press-News.org) New findings settle one of the arguments about Open Access (OA) research publications: Are they more likely to be cited because they were made OA, or were they made OA because they were more likely to be cited?

The study, which will be published in PLoS ONE on the first day of Open Access Week (18 October), was carried out by a bi-national team of researchers from the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) in the UK and l'Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada.

The results show that the OA citation impact advantage is just as great when OA is mandatory (i.e., the author's institution or funder requires the author to make all research publications OA) as it is when OA is optional (i.e., the author self-selects whether and what to make OA).

"It is now well-known that those research findings that are made accessible free for all on the Web are more likely to be used and cited than research findings that are accessible only to paid subscribers," said Professor Stevan Harnad at ECS, part of the team who carried out the study. "But we need to ask whether research is more likely to be used and cited because it has been made OA? Or is it made OA because it is more likely to be used and cited?"

According to the "self-selection bias" hypothesis, the greater impact of OA articles is just an artifact of a bias on the part of authors toward selectively making their better -- hence more useable and citeable articles - OA. If the OA impact advantage is just a self-selection bias, then it is far less urgent and important to make all research OA.

The team tested this by analysing all articles that were made OA at the four first institutions in the world to make OA mandatory -- University of Southampton School of Electronics and Computer Science, the first, in 2003, and CERN, University of Minho, and Queensland University of Technology, in 2004 - and comparing their citation impact with control articles, in the very same journals and years, from unmandated institutions, that were made OA by author self-selection or not made OA at all. The OA impact advantage turned out to be just as great, regardless of whether the OA was self-selected or required.

The study also found that the percentage of an institution's yearly research output that is made OA self-selectively varies between 5% and 25%, whereas the percentage when OA is mandated jumps to 60% and climbs toward 100% within a few years of mandate adoption.

The conclusion of the study is hence not only that the OA impact advantage is real, and caused by the greater accessibility of OA articles, but that OA mandates are also the way to make all research benefit from the greater likelihood of being used and cited that OA provides.

Commenting on these new findings, Professor Dame Wendy Hall, a committed advocate of OA said: "This is further convincing evidence that we can all increase the impact of our research by ensuring - through Open Access - that it is available to everyone. If we are to begin to solve some of the really pressing issues facing the planet at the moment we need to be able to draw on all the research insights from many different disciplines and from all the world's research institutions."

INFORMATION:

Citation: Gargouri Y, Hajjem C, Larivie`re V, Gingras Y, Carr L, et al. (2010) Self-Selected or Mandated, Open Access Increases Citation Impact for Higher Quality Research. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13636. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013636

Funding Statement: Social Science and Humanities Research Council, Monitoring, Measuring and Maximizing Research Impact, and Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Sciences. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interest from the authors: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Competing Interest Statement from PLoS ONE: PLoS is a publisher of Open Access journals and hence could benefit from any study which demonstrates an 'OA Citation Advantage'. However PLoS had no involvement in the research presented in this paper. As to the acceptance of any paper in PLoS ONE, this is always at the discretion of the individual academic editor involved, who is not subject to any influence from the publisher.

Contact:

Prof. Stevan Harnad, Founder and Moderator, American Scientist Open Access Forum, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Tel: 023 8059 4479, email: harnad@ecs.soton.ac.uk

Joyce Lewis, Communications Manager, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton (tel. 023 8059 5453; email j.k.lewis@ecs.soton.ac.uk)

PLEASE LINK TO THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT (URL goes live after the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013636

FOR A PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE FULL ARTICLE, VISIT THE FOLLOWING URL:

http://www.plos.org/press/pone-05-10-harnad.pdf

Notes to Editors:

1. For information about ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Materials Archiving Policies) visit: http://www.eprints.org/openaccess/policysignup/

2. With around 500 researchers, and 900 undergraduate students, the School of Electronics and Computer Science at Southampton is one of the world's largest and most successful integrated research groupings, covering Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and IT in Organisations. ECS has unrivalled depth and breadth of expertise in world-leading research, new developments and their applications.

3. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health, arts and humanities.

4. With over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover of almost £400 million, the University of Southampton is one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.

5. The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres, including the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, and the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Surgical complications drop at hospitals that share patient safety data

2010-10-19
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan hospitals reduced surgical complications by nearly 10 percent at a time when the rest of the nation saw no change in complication rates, according to a new study out next week in the Archives of Surgery. Complications dropped at hospitals participating in what's called the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, a group of 16 hospitals led by the University of Michigan Health System that agreed to pool data and share information about what keeps patients safe. The fewer patients suffering ventilator associated pneumonias alone, among the ...

News and insights in gastroenterology presented at the ACG's 75th Annual Meeting

2010-10-19
Bethesda, Maryland (October 14, 2010) – Many of the world's preeminent gastroenterologists will gather for the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific Meeting at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas starting Monday October 18, 2010, to review the latest scientific advances in gastrointestinal research, treatment of digestive diseases and clinical practice management. Innovative technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases; insights into digestive health conditions, their causes and how they impact ...

Allergy drug found to clear condition but not symptoms of throat disease

2010-10-19
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A group of Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.org/about/) researchers conducted the first controlled trial of swallowed fluticasone nasal spray (also known as Flonase) on people with the allergic esophageal condition called eosinophilic esophagitis (http://www.mayoclinic.org/eosinophilic-esophagitis/). Research showed that the aerosolized swallowed allergy drug helped treat the cause of the throat condition, but symptoms lingered. The researchers' findings were presented today at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology ...

The protein NOS2 isn't good for ER-negative breast cancer patients

2010-10-19
Breast cancers can be divided into different subtypes based on several criteria, including whether or not they express the protein to which the female hormone estrogen binds; that is, the estrogen receptor (ER). Patients with ER-negative breast tumors have a worse outlook than those with ER-positive breast tumors. However, even among ER-negative breast tumors, those characterized as basal-like are the most aggressive and difficult to treat. New therapeutic targets for this subtype of breast cancer are urgently needed. Now, a team of researchers, led by Stefan Ambs, at the ...

JCI online early table of contents: Oct. 18, 2010

2010-10-19
EDITOR'S PICK: The protein NOS2 isn't good for ER-negative breast cancer patients Breast cancers can be divided into different subtypes based on several criteria, including whether or not they express the protein to which the female hormone estrogen binds; that is, the estrogen receptor (ER). Patients with ER-negative breast tumors have a worse outlook than those with ER-positive breast tumors. However, even among ER-negative breast tumors, those characterized as basal-like are the most aggressive and difficult to treat. New therapeutic targets for this subtype of breast ...

Medicare hospital comparison website may not help patients locate best places for high-risk surgery

2010-10-19
Information available on a government Web site designed to help patients choose high-quality hospitals does not appear to help Medicare beneficiaries identify facilities with better outcomes for high-risk surgeries, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In an effort to reduce variations in surgical quality, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now requires hospitals to report data from the national Surgical Care Improvement Project involving measures taken to prevent infection and blood clots, ...

Psychiatric illnesses before surgery associated with modest increased risk of death afterward

2010-10-19
Individuals with co-occurring psychiatric illnesses, especially anxiety and depression, appear to have an increased risk of death within 30 days of surgery, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Psychiatric illnesses occur along with physical complaints in an estimated 5 percent to 40 percent of hospitalized patients, according to background information in the article. Having a psychiatric condition is independently associated with an increased risk of illness and death. Previous studies of these conditions ...

Study examines factors associated with seeking skin cancer screening

2010-10-19
A survey of patients undergoing skin cancer screening shows that women were more likely to seek screening because of a skin lesion, a family history of skin cancer, or concern about sun exposure, whereas men age 50 and older, a group at highest risk for melanoma, may only seek screenings after a previous skin cancer diagnosis, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In 2008, more than 62,000 Americans were diagnosed with the skin cancer melanoma and almost 8,500 died from the disease, according to background ...

Genetic predisposition to certain skin cancers may be associated with vitamin D deficiency

2010-10-19
Patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, which predisposes them to develop non-melanoma skin cancers, appear to be at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency if they take steps to protect themselves from sunlight, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease, fractures, cancer, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality," the authors write as background information in the article. "There is increasing concern that sun ...

Questionnaire helps to identify patients at risk for surgical complications

2010-10-19
A simple, eight-item pre-operative questionnaire could help identify patients at risk for complications following surgery, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Individuals prone to the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as determined by the questionnaire appear to have an increased risk of heart, lung and other complications following elective surgery. Obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which individuals periodically stop breathing during sleep, occurs in approximately 5 percent ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Researchers show complex relationship between Arctic warming and Arctic dust

Brain test shows that crabs process pain

Social fish with low status are so stressed out it impacts their brains

Predicting the weather: New meteorology estimation method aids building efficiency

Inside the ‘swat team’ – how insects react to virtual reality gaming 

Oil spill still contaminating sensitive Mauritius mangroves three years on

Unmasking the voices of experience in healthcare studies

Pandemic raised food, housing insecurity in Oregon despite surge in spending

OU College of Medicine professor earns prestigious pancreatology award

Sub-Saharan Africa leads global HIV decline: Progress made but UNAIDS 2030 goals hang in balance, new IHME study finds

Popular diabetes and obesity drugs also protect kidneys, study shows

Stevens INI receives funding to expand research on the neural underpinnings of bipolar disorder

Protecting nature can safeguard cities from floods

NCSA receives honors in 2024 HPCwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards

Warning: Don’t miss Thanksgiving dinner, it’s more meaningful than you think

Expanding HPV vaccination to all adults aged 27-45 years unlikely to be cost-effective or efficient for HPV-related cancer prevention

Trauma care and mental health interventions training help family physicians prepare for times of war

Adapted nominal group technique effectively builds consensus on health care priorities for older adults

Single-visit first-trimester care with point-of-care ultrasound cuts emergency visits by 81% for non-miscarrying patients

Study reveals impact of trauma on health care professionals in Israel following 2023 terror attack

Primary care settings face barriers to screening for early detection of cognitive impairment

November/December Annals of Family Medicine Tip Sheet

Antibiotics initiated for suspected community-acquired pneumonia even when chest radiography results are negative

COVID-19 stay-at-home order increased reporting of food, housing, and other health-related social needs in Oregon

UW-led research links wildfire smoke exposure with increased dementia risk

Most U.S. adults surveyed trust store-bought turkey is free of contaminants, despite research finding fecal bacteria in ground turkey

New therapy from UI Health offers FDA-approved treatment option for brittle type 1 diabetes

Alzheimer's: A new strategy to prevent neurodegeneration

A clue to what lies beneath the bland surfaces of Uranus and Neptune

Researchers uncover what makes large numbers of “squishy” grains start flowing

[Press-News.org] New evidence of the power of open access