Accessibility, sustainability, excellence: how to expand access to research publications/Annex A: Terms of Reference and Membership

Annex A: Terms of Reference and Membership

1. Purpose

The purpose of the group is to provide a means through which representatives of the HE sector, research funders, the research community, scholarly publishers, libraries and other interested parties can examine how most effectively to expand access to the quality-assured published outputs of research; and to propose a programme of action to that end.

2. Status

The working group will be independent of Government, but its activities, findings and recommendations will be considered by Government. Initial findings may be reflected, as appropriate, in the Research and Innovation Strategy to be published by Government in the autumn of 2011.

3. Scope

The group’s work will focus on scholarly publications in the form of journal articles, conference proceedings and monographs. It will take account of parallel work relating to research data and other outputs being conducted by the Government Office for Science Funders’ Forum and by the Royal Society. So far as appropriate, it may consider issues as to the relationships and links between scholarly publications and underlying data.

4. Working principles

The group will adopt an evidence-based approach to its work. So far as possible it will work collaboratively and will seek to achieve consensus. Where that is not possible, it will seek to identify precise points of difference.

5. Issues and objectives

The group will take account of and consider work that has already been, or is being, undertaken on issues relating to its purpose and objectives. Where necessary, it may commission additional work to clarify key issues.

The group will

i. appraise the current landscape of access to the published findings of research in the UK and other major producers and consumers of research;

ii. identify the key goals and guiding principles that should underlie public policy on publication of and access to research findings;

iii. in the light of the guiding principles, likely technological and other relevant developments, identify the possible routes and mechanisms in order to achieve the key goals, and the associated costs, risks and benefits;

iv. assess relevant policies and practice, and likely developments, in other countries; and

v. propose a programme of action for all interested parties in the UK.

6. Timing

The group will meet c 4 times, and produce a report in spring 2012.

Working Group Members

Dame Janet Finch, DBE (Chair)	Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester
Simon Bell	Head of Strategic Partnerships and Licensing, British Library
Dr Laura Bellingan FSB	Head of Science Policy, Society of Biology
Robert Campbell	Senior Publisher, Wiley Blackwell
Professor Peter Donnelly FRS	Professor of Statistical Science, University of Oxford and Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
Dr Rita Gardner CBE	Director, Royal Geographical Society
Professor Martin Hall	Vice Chancellor, University of Salford and Chair, Open Access Implementation Group
Steven Hall	Managing Director, IoP Publishing
Robert Kiley	Head of Digital Services, Wellcome Trust
Wim van der Stelt	Executive Vice President Corporate Strategy, Springer
David Sweeney	Director, Research Innovation and Skills, HEFCE
Phil Sykes	Librarian, University of Liverpool and Chair, Research Libraries UK
Professor Adam Tickell	Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Transfer), University of Birmingham
Drs Astrid Wissenburg	Partnerships & Communication and Deputy CEO, ESRC, and chair of the RCUK Knowledge Transfer and Economic Impact Group
Ron Egginton OBE (Observer)	Research Base Directorate, Department for Business Innovation and Skills
Secretary
Dr Michael Jubb	Director, Research Information Network

Sub-group on Licensing

Professor Martin Hall	University of Salford (Chair)
Sam Beale*	Technology Strategy Board / Rolls Royce
Lorraine Estelle*	JISC Collections
Steven Hall	IoP Publishing
Vicky Jones*	HEFCE
Phil Sykes	University of Liverpool
Professor Adam Tickell	University of Birmingham
Alicia Wise*	Elsevier

Sub-group on Open Access Publishing

Professor Adam Tickell	University of Birmingham (Chair)
Dr Laura Bellingan	Society of Biology
Ian Carter*	University of Sussex / Chair of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators
Dr Rita Gardner	Royal Geographical Society
Rhodri Jackson*	OUP
Robert Kiley	Wellcome Trust
Stephen Pinfield*	University of Nottingham
Wim van der Stelt	Springer
Mark Thorley*	RCUK

Sub-group on Repositories

Phil Sykes	RLUK / University of Liverpool
Juan Bicarregui*	RCUK
Robert Campbell	Wiley Blackwell
Ian Bannerman*	Taylor and Francis
Vicky Jones*	HEFCE
Alison Henning*	Wellcome Trust / UKPMC
Professor Jon Saunders*	University of Liverpool
Wendy White*	University of Southampton