[OKFN-IN] "The Accessibility Quotient: A New Measure of Open Access" by Mathew A. Willmott, Katharine H. Dunn et al.

[Sridhar Gutam]

http://jlsc-pub.org/jlsc/vol1/iss1/7/#.T7yl48eoShw.gmail

The Accessibility Quotient: A New Measure of Open
Access<http://jlsc-pub.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=jlsc>
 Abstract

*INTRODUCTION* The Accessibility Quotient (AQ), a new measure for assisting
authors and librarians in assessing and characterizing the degree of
accessibility for a group of papers, is proposed and described. The AQ
offers a concise measure that assesses the accessibility of peer-reviewed
research produced by an individual or group, by incorporating data on open
availability to readers worldwide, the degree of financial barrier to
access, and journal quality. The paper reports on the context for
developing this measure, how the AQ is calculated, how it can be used in
faculty outreach, and why it is a useful lens to use in assessing progress
towards more open access to research. *METHODS* Journal articles published
in 2009 and 2010 by faculty members from one department in each of MIT’s
five schools were examined. The AQ was calculated using economist Ted
Bergstrom’s Relative Price Index to assess affordability and quality, and
data from SHERPA/RoMEO to assess the right to share the peer-reviewed
version of an article. *RESULTS* The results show that 2009 and 2010
publications by the Media Lab and Physics have the potential to be more
open than those of Sloan (Management), Mechanical Engineering, and
Linguistics & Philosophy. *DISCUSSION* Appropriate interpretation and
applications of the AQ are discussed and some limitations of the measure
are examined, with suggestions for future studies which may improve the
accuracy and relevance of the AQ. *CONCLUSION* The AQ offers a concise
assessment of accessibility for authors, departments, disciplines, or
universities who wish to characterize or understand the degree of access to
their research output, capturing additional dimensions of accessibility
that matter to faculty.
 Recommended Citation

Willmott, MA, Dunn, KH, Duranceau, EF. (2012). The Accessibility Quotient:
A New Measure of Open Access. *Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly
Communication* 1(1):eP1025.
Available at: http://jlsc-pub.org/jlsc/vol1/iss1/7
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