Resolution as modified September 19, 2005 Meeting of the University Libraries Committee. Approved at the October 14 meeting.

Suggestions for UI Faculty Senate Resolution on Scholarly Publishing

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, the faculty individually, 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 the activities of these publishers directly depend upon the continued participation of faculty at [Iowa] and similar institutions acting as editors, reviewers, and authors, 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,

The University of Iowa Faculty Senate:

1. Encourages faculty to become familiar with the pricing and business practices of journals and journal publishers in their specialty, and to support journals and publishers whose pricing and accessibility policies promote broad and continuing access to scholarship.

2. Urges faculty, especially tenured faculty, to 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.

3.  Encourages faculty and 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.

4.  Urges faculty to maintain control of their scholarly work by retaining intellectual property rights, in order to allow them greater freedom to disseminate their work and thereby maximize the impact of their scholarship.

5.  Calls upon the faculty and University administration 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.