SPARC

http://www.arl.org/sparc/advocacy/canada/cihr_analysis_2006.shtml

Analysis: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Public Access Report

by Kathleen Shearer, CARL
Published in SPARC enews, August-September 2006

In February 2006, CIHR initiated a project (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/30818.html) to develop and implement a CIHR policy on access to research outputs. This is guided by an advisory committee whose members represent Canadian researchers across CIHR's four research theme areas--biomedical, clinical, health services, and population health. The Chair of the committee is the noted open access advocate Dr. Jim Till, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto (http://main.library.utoronto.ca/utlnews/spring2006.pdf).

With the purpose of gathering information to support the committee's work, CIHR sought preliminary feedback from the health research community and other stakeholders on a number of topics related to access, through a survey questionnaire (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/30948.html) that was posted on the CIHR Website in April 2006.

Of the 41 survey responses received, approximately half were from researchers with the remaining replies coming from library affiliates, journals, research administrators, policymakers, health charities and others.

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) made a submission to CIHR's publication policy consultation. The brief is available on the CARL Web site (http://www.carl-abrc.ca/projects/open_access/CIHR_OA-consultn_brief.pdf). Acting in concert with CARL, SPARC also submitted a brief (http://www.arl.org/sparc/advocacy/canada/cihrpolicy_sparccomments_06may.pdf).

CARL representatives Gwen Ebbett (University Librarian, University of Windsor), Carolynne Presser (Director of Libraries, University of Manitoba) and Kathleen Shearer (Research Associate, CARL), together with Heather Joseph (Executive Director, SPARC) met CIHR officials on May 16 to make suggestions for the CIHR draft access policy. The survey results (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/31935.html) supported the idea of CIHR establishing an access policy, and, in particular, a policy that would be broad and place minimal restrictions on access. Some of the key themes that emerged were:

Increased accessibility is the goal and this can be achieved while protecting intellectual property;
Make efforts to limit restrictions on sharing products of research;
Strong support for sharing research data, particularly data that has been accepted by peer-reviewed publications; and
Self-archiving of publications was encouraged.
In terms of impact on researchers and libraries a new CIHR policy could:
Ensure that all Canadians have access to the outputs of CIHR supported research;
Ensure that libraries, physicians, health care workers, students, researchers and thousands of academic institutions and companies are not hindered by the costs and delays in making research widely accessible;
Help advance science and accelerate health and economic benefits. The more widely and rapidly that research output is shared, the more dynamic the research cycles and the greater the advances in knowledge; and
Promote the sharing of resources from different countries and disciplines, and provide an environment where information flows more freely and quickly from both within the academy and to the users, policy makers and the public.

CIHR anticipates having completed its draft policy on access to research outputs by October 2006, at which time it will be posted on the CIHR Web site for consultation.