Benefits Of Open Access: Impacting Policy

"Researchers around the world are more and more adopting open science practices intended to not only reduce publication bias and improve research quality, but to improve public access to research that is often paid for from public money. There are several elements to open science including pre-registration of research methodologies, open availability of data for scrutiny and open access publications. While the first two elements may primarily be of interest to researchers, open access publications remove barriers to research by making peer-reviewed research available at the click of a button to anyone who wants to read it which allows the work to be of more direct benefit to the wider population.  

"Over the past few years, the Addictions Research Group at the University of South Wales has engaged with policy makers at Westminster, The Senedd and The Northern Ireland Assembly and have advised groups ranging from cross-party interest groups to public health bodies and charities. These interactions have been made significantly easier by being able to directly link to our open access publications. For example, in March 2021 we submitted evidence to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s Call for Evidence for the Review of the Gambling Act 2005. In our evidence we were able to not only summarise our research, but to provide hyperlinks to our full-texts articles from which the evidence was derived.  This was similarly the case when we co-authored the Welsh Government’s Substance Misuse Treatment Framework for Alcohol-Related Brain Damage, a publicly available document.    

"Open access publication has allowed us to share our work more easily with individuals and organisations who would normally not have access to journal articles. More than that however, the ability to share our open access publications engenders a spirit of inclusivity and trust. The perception is not that the articles are just for academics, but that the publications are for everyone and ultimately for the public good. As such, the possibility of real-world impact is enhanced." 

Gareth Roderique Davies is Professor of Psychology with expertise in substance misuse, behavioural addiction, craving and the long-term effects of recreational drug use. Together with Professor John, he is an invited observer member of the Cross Party Group on Problem Gambling at Welsh Government and an invited expert on the Welsh Government’s Substance Misuse Treatment Framework for alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) Project Board.  

Professor Bev John's main focus is applied research in psychological health, in particular promoting positive behaviour change in mental and physical health and substance misuse; and the development and evaluation of psychological intervention. Professor John has contributed to policy developments and the public debate on alcohol and gambling harm; and has published widely in peer reviewed journals and other relevant media.