Secondary publishing rights can advance public access to scholarly research: Op-ed

In a recent op-ed for The Conversation, Brianne Selman (University of Winnipeg) and Mark Swartz (Queen’s University) argue that secondary publishing rights should be afforded to academic authors in Canada. The writers explain that secondary publishing rights ensure that publicly funded research can be immediately made available to the public through open access repositories. In so doing, all Canadians would be able to access “information that could help us understand the world around us,” which in turn would drive science, innovation, and cultural progress. Selman and Swartz contend that this is an opportune moment to revisit the potential of secondary publishing rights, as the Government of Canada recently announced a review of its Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications.