Spring must thaw more than academics journals

Free access to journals is important but would have a negligible effect unless underlined by a wider sea change in the way academics think about research, says Brant MoscovitchThe Guardian's coverage of the call for free access to academic journals was the latest salvo in what has been dubbed the Academic Spring. Much has been made about the greediness of academic publishers (George Monbiot went as far as saying they make James Murdoch look like a socialist), who are earning a 35% profit on research paid for largely by the public through taxes. The problems inherent to the current model, including access to journals and high costs for cash strapped university libraries, are many, and they are finally receiving due attention.But what would a world of free academic content look like? My own background is in the humanities and social sciences, which have received less attention in this offensive, an...

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