| Dear Colleague:
Today, Ithaka S+R released the UK Survey of Academics. Fielded in autumn 2015, this is the second cycle of this project and therefore the first opportunity to examine trends over time.
Given that the survey is run in parallel with the US Faculty Survey, there are some important comparative opportunities. One of the most notable differences is that UK academics more frequently make their research publications—especially pre-prints of peer-reviewed articles—freely available online than their US counterparts. We found evidence suggesting that, within the UK, funder priorities related to data preservation, open access for journal articles, and outreach to non-academic audiences, were all having an impact.
Across both surveys, we have seen an increased interest since the 2012 cycle in the role of the library in supporting the development of undergraduate student research skills. We are not observing a trend towards a format transition for monographs in either the US or UK: academics report a preference for print over digital formats for most of their use cases.
I am thrilled that we are able to continue the coverage of the UK higher education sector in this project and gratefully acknowledge the partnership of Jisc and RLUK. I invite you to read the report, and hope you will be able to join us at ALA Annual or Jisc/CNI where we will report on the findings.
Sincerely,
Deanna Marcum
Managing Director, Ithaka S+R |
