Open access is something of a hot topic in the research community. It is an issue that everyone in the community will be familiar with. What we can say is that the current publication model for research is unsustainable, and that open access will be the norm in future. I’ve yet to meet researchers who think otherwise. But other issues like what form this open access takes, how to implement it, how to fund it, and how to ensure standards are maintained, are all up for debate.

Eurodoc, being an organisation of researchers, and and organisation representing researchers, has expressed its support for open access, and policy that enables it, in the past. It is an issue which I know many of our members hold to be very important.

Eurodoc’s own open access workgroup, set up in April 2014, seeks to look at the issue of open access from the perspective of early career researchers. Different models of open access may adversely affect the situation of young researchers. While open access can certainly empower researchers, some models could work to remove their independence. Eurodoc’s role is to examine these different models, to monitor the situation, and to raise awareness when policy works to the detriment of ESRs.

Whatever way things go, open access remains a topic of considerable importance to the research community. It is an issue that demands engagement from researchers, which is why I am pleased with the support Eurodoc has given to events like the Berlin 11 Satellite conference in 2013, and now OpenCon.