Originally posted to eBridge: 3 February 2013
In the Research Methods reader, Colquhoon (2006, Ch.1) brings up the subject of how formal research is undertaken in 'an open and public forum', but I have to question just how open the world of academic publishing really is. Sure, there is the sense of authority from having the work reviewed rigorously by other academics, but it's then published in pay-to-subscribe journals that are usually not accessible to the general public, even if they knew what they were looking for. Despite having access to Athens, I often find I'm more successful using Google Scholar for tracking down something useful, and my Athens account sometimes doesn't get me access to the material of certain publishers that seem to be on the approved list.
Is there a different way of publishing research? Wheeler (2011) notes that a number of academics are joining a revolt against pay-to-subscribe journals. Perhaps in time this might become more than just a trickle?
References:
- Colquhoon, D. (2006). Research Methods in Education Contexts. University of Hull
- Wheeler, S. (2011). When the dam breaks... Learning with e's [blog] 18 October. Available at: <http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/when-dam-breaks.html> [Accessed February 2013]
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