Dear Evidence-Based Health colleagues,
HIFA invites you to participate in a thematic discussion around the
question: How can published health research be made more accessible
to users in low- and middle-income countries?
Read online:
http://www.hifa.org/news/new-hifa-thematic-discussion-how-can-published-research-be-made-more-accessible-users-low-and
HIFA (Healthcare Information For All) is a professional global health
network working in collaboration with WHO. HIFA has more than 15,000
health workers, librarians, publishers, researchers and policymakers,
committed to improve the availability and use of healthcare
information. One-third of members are based in Africa, one-third in
Europe, and one-third in the rest of the world.
The discussion will start on 7 November and will continue until 2
December 2016. Join HIFA here today (free): www.hifa.org/joinhifa
The Manila Declaration, which was strongly influenced by HIFA
discussions in 2015, noted that 'despite a growing momentum towards
free and open access to research literature, and important
initiatives, such as HINARI Access to Research In Health Programme
and IRIS (Institutional Repository for Information Sharing) ... there
continue to be many challenges, limitations and exclusions that
prevent health research information from becoming freely and openly
available to those who need it'.
http://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/publications_pdf/Manila_Declaration_2015_FINAL_August_242.pdf
There is a growing consensus that open access (OA) (via both journals
and repositories) is the way forward for long term sustainable
access, and to enable the use and reuse of published research.
Bibliometric research shows strong advantages for those whose work is
made available OA and many people also see OA as an ethical
imperative which promotes equity globally. More and more publishers,
funding agencies, universities and governments are supporting, and in
some cases requiring, OA publishing of research.
In the meantime, access initiatives such as HINARI, EIFL and INASP
provide access in LMICs to journals that are still restricted access.
The discussion will look at a range of questions, including:
1. What are the most important priorities for access to research in
LMICs - i.e. just free access, or the ability to reuse published
research in various ways (e.g. print it, distribute to students or
colleagues for reuse in other publications)?
2. Is it acceptable to have full-text access available only via
academic institutions or is much broader access important?
3. What are the most important technical requirements for access -
e.g. low bandwidth versions of articles?
4. What more can be done to address misconceptions about, and
discrimination against, OA?
We are grateful to Elsevier and The Lancet for their support.
With thanks, Neil
Neil Pakenham-Walsh
On behalf of the HIFA working group on Access to Health Research
http://www.hifa.org/working-groups/access-health-research
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