Towards reliable data - counting the Finnish Open Access publications

Abstract

As in many other countries, the scholarly Open Access movement has been gaining momentum in Finland in recent years. There is a growing political pressure for taking steps towards a more comprehensive Open Access availability of Finnish research publications. One of the ideas currently under discussion is whether it would be possible to use Open Access availability of research publications as a factor in the funding model for the Finnish universities.

However, a key challenge is that at the moment there is no reliable, comprehensive data on how much of the Finnish research output actually is freely available. This paper discusses some of the plans on how to address this situation on a national level. The discussion may provide useful insights for other countries facing similar questions.