U of Iowa grad student resolution on scholarly publishing
The University of Iowa’s Graduate Student Senate unanimously passed a
resolution on scholarly publishing on March 22, 2006. This may possibly be a
first for research universities. Here is the text of the resolution:
WHEREAS the University of Iowa’s longstanding commitment to the free and open
publication, presentation and discussion of research advances the interests of
the scholarly community, and the public, and
WHEREAS the costs of scholarly journals are continually rising at rates greater
than the rate of inflation and higher than the rate of University budget
increases, and
WHEREAS graduate students depend on these resources for their research, and
WHEREAS a lasting solution to this problem requires not only interim measures
but also a long range plan, and
WHEREAS publication in open access journals and repositories is an increasingly
effective option for scholarly communication, and
WHEREAS the activities of these publishers directly depend upon the continued
participation of scholars acting as editors, reviewers, and authors,
The University of Iowa Graduate Student Senate:
1. Supports the University of Iowa Faculty Senate in their resolution of
November 29, 2005, on Scholarly Publishing.
2. Encourages graduate students to become familiar with the pricing and
business practices of journals and journal publishers in their specialty.
3. Recognizes that graduate students, as they move along in their career, can
exert a positive influence on the direction of scholarly publishing through the
choices they make in the submission of papers, the commitment of time to
refereeing activities, and participation in editorial work.
4. Encourages the University to support new models for scholarly publishing,
including open access journals and archives, disciplinary and institutional
repositories and other approaches that enhance the broad dissemination of
knowledge while preserving peer review and excellence in scholarship.
5. Recognizes that graduate students can retain intellectual property rights,
in order to allow them greater freedom to disseminate their work and thereby
maximize the impact of their scholarship.
6. Encourages higher education to support these changes through the promotion
and tenure system and other reward mechanisms, and by providing incentives and
support for those advancing alternative models.
The resolution refers to and supports a UI faculty resolution on scholarly
publishing that was recently passed and can be viewed at:
http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Efacsen/Agenda/Senate05-06/11-29-05/2-LibrariesResolution.htm
