For all press enquiries
please call Stephen Anderson the Executive Director on 020 7330 0898 or email director@acss.org.uk
Recent Press Releases
22 February 2013
The Academy of Social Sciences welcomes Lords committee report calling for greater monitoring of open access
The Academy of Social Science has welcomed a House of Lords committee report calling for the main research funding body to monitor more closely its policy on open access.
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee today [22 February 2013] welcomed Research Councils UK’s recent clarification that it will phase in its open access policy over five years, and called on RCUK to monitor the effects of the move to open access in its autumn 2014 review and beyond. The Committee said this review should consider:
- Whether different disciplines require different embargo periods, licenses and primary models of publication;
- whether the UK, in stating a preference for “gold” open access, is moving in the same direction as other countries which are mandating open access;
- whether article processing charges have adversely affected the number of international articles published in UK journals;
- the effects on the quality of peer review;
- the impact on the number of collaborations by UK researchers; and
- the effects on learned societies.
Stephen Anderson, Director of the Academy of Social Sciences, welcomed the Committee’s report.
“We welcome the Lords’ Committee’s recognition that different disciplines may require different embargo periods, licences, funding and models of publications - we have consistently argued this for the social sciences.
“We also welcome the report’s emphasis on learned societies. These have a vital role to play within the social sciences, and ensuring they can continue their work under the new open access system is very important.
“The Lords’ Committee report is a sensible step forward to making sure that we do not rush into a policy which could damage social science in the UK, which is acknowledged as second only to that in the US on the world stage.”
For more information, please contact:
Tony Trueman
Press Officer, Academy of Social Sciences/Campaign for Social Science
07964 023392
Notes to editors
The Academy of Social Sciences is the voice of the social sciences in the UK. Its members include 850 academicians from universities and policy and practice organisations, and 46 member learned societies with 87,000 members. Its mission is to promote social science for the public benefit; it has set up the Campaign for Social Science.
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14 January 2013
Social science organisation asks Lords committee to consult more widely on open access
The representative body for the social sciences has expressed its concern that a review by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee into open access publishing is too narrow in scope.
The Academy of Social Sciences has welcomed the review, but says that the committee has not called for academics or learned societies in the humanities and social scientists to give evidence.
This means that it will miss an important perspective on the effects of the move to open access, called for by the Finch report last year, the Academy says.
The Academy’s Director, Stephen Anderson, said: “The committee will hear evidence from a small number of largely official bodies and figures, but there are a large number of very legitimate issues not being adequately considered in what appears to be a headlong rush into implementation of open access.
“I can think of no other issue currently where there is so much concern about so many fundamental changes to the whole research and publishing ecosystem taking place over so short a period. The potential for unintended and damaging consequences is simply huge.
“The committee must consider fully the difference between research in the social sciences, arts and humanities to that of the natural and life sciences.
“There are widespread concerns about the embargo periods being proposed, the availability and distribution of funding for article processing charges, the nature of the licences being required for further use of research, the effects on learned society business models and, most especially, international scholarship and publication in UK journals.
“It is vital that the Committee hears the voice of a wider constituency – in our written submission to it, the Academy is calling for a much fuller enquiry and evidence taking.”
Mr Anderson said that the Academy would also send the committee a summary of the conference the Academy held on open access in November. This can be seen at: http://bit.ly/ZTZsxu A follow up conference will be held in May.
For more information, please contact:
Tony Trueman
Press Officer, Campaign for Social Science/Academy of Social Sciences
07964 023392
Notes to editors
The Academy of Social Sciences is the voice of the social sciences in the UK. Its members include 850 academicians from universities and policy and practice organisations, and 44 member learned societies with 87,000 members. Its mission is to promote social science for the public benefit, and it has also set up the Campaign for Social Science.
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Press release from the Campaign for Social Science
25 July 2012
Government urged to reinstate senior social scientist post
Download the press release here (pdf)
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Academy of Social Sciences welcomes first non-British member
Download the press release here (pdf)
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9 July 2012
Three new members elected to Council of the Academy of Social Sciences
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19th June 2012
Finch Report on Open Access
Statement from Stephen Anderson, Executive Director, Academy of Social Sciences, representing 43 learned societies:
“We welcome the extensive acknowledgement by the Finch report on Open Access published today (19 June) that learned societies contribute significantly to leveraging scholarly endeavour and public engagement.
Learned societies are a critical part of the research ecology in the UK. It is important that they do not suffer unintended collateral damage as a result of an acceleration in the move towards open access.
Many are engaged in significant journal publishing, on a not for profit basis. All of their journal income goes back to supporting their charitable objectives which are essentially to support their subject discipline. Undermining this without replacing it with a sustainable open access publishing model will have significant negative consequences for the UK research ecology.
Therefore it is critical that the government, when responding to the Finch recommendations, gives due consideration to the impact on learned societies.
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13 June 2012
Vince Cable to introduce launch of booklet on important business research
Download the press release as pdf.
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27 February 2012
Social sciences still a good career option though applications are declining
New research from UCAS reveals that whilst applications to study pure science and engineering are holding up or increasing, the social sciences are facing mixed fortunes. There has been a decline in applications this year for many social science subjects. Although applications to study some vocational social sciences such as Law and Business Studies have remained steady, those for many other subjects have fallen since 2010, including architecture and planning by 17 per cent and all other social science subjects by 10 per cen.t
Professor Tony Crook, Chair of the Campaign for Social Science, expressed his concern about the decline in applications for the social sciences:
“Undoubtedly, higher tuition fees and the need for repayment over long periods are focusing the minds of potential students on taking subjects with a more vocational orientation, where the career route in a tighter jobs market seems more assured. However, social sciences develop a whole range of different skills, including critical analysis, the ability to use both quantitative and qualitative sources, understanding the human aspects of decision making, evaluation and the capacity to make well-argued, reasoned recommendations. These skills are much valued by potential employers and will stand them in good stead, whether it is in retail management or public health, product marketing or social care.”
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Thursday 10 November
Sport has a Profound Impact on Society -
World-leading research provides hard evidence
Download the press relase as a pdf file here
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Friday 21 October 2011
Focus on the police response obscures need to deal with underlying causes of summer riots, says Campaign for Social Science
Download the release as a pdf file here
A full report of the conference plus a podcast can be found on the Campaign website.
www.campaignforsocialscience.org.uk
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4 October 2011
Marginalising social sciences within government will result in policy that is not informed by evidence, warns Academy
Download the release as a Word document here
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20 July 2011
Academy of Social Sciences welcomes Lords' Recommendation for appointment of Chief Social Scientist
Download the release as a Word document here
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1 July 2011
Justice Minister highlights critical role of social science research in crime prevention at launch of new publication
Download the release as a Word document here
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14 June 2011
Social science's huge contribution to national life recognised in Honours list.
Download the release as a Word document here
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27 May 2011
Campaign for Social Science Raises £50,000
Download the release as a Word document here
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13 May 2011
Debate on peer review system escalates
Download the release as a Word document here
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3 November 2010
The Real Inconvenient Truth: Climate disasters will continue unless behaviour and attitudes change
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October 2010
Statement from the Academy of Social Sciences in respect of the Browne Review proposals and the CSR announcement on 20th October 2010
Download statement here in Word format
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21 July 2010
New report demonstrates ageing research has significant role to play in policy making
