From Idea to Policy: How Do United States R-1 Universities Advance Open Access Scholarly Communication at an Institutional Level?

U.S. universities are increasingly unable to afford research journal subscriptions due to the rising prices charged by for-profit academic publishers. Open Access appears to be the most backed option to disrupt the current publishing model. However, only about seventy-six U.S. universities/colleges have developed and implemented institutional Open Access policies at this time. The purpose of this study is to understand how selected United States R-1 universities advance Open Access at the institutional level, by investigating how these institutions develop, implement, support, and measure their Open Access Policy efforts. An in-depth qualitative study, including interviews with stakeholders and examination of artifacts, was performed on two R-1 universities with Open Access policies that have been implemented for at least five years. The results of this study reveal that an institutional Open Access policy could begin at the university senior administration level or at the faculty level. Dissemination of knowledge and reducing costs were two of the primary motivators for the development of the policies, but only the former reason was explicitly stated and promoted. A lack of definitions for the progress and success of the policies’ implementation has hindered their impact. In summary, there was a tacit acknowledgement that the policies were symbolic and good-will gestures rather than enforceable mandates