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The use of theory in research relating to open access: Practitioner perspectives
Author(s) -
Wakeling Simon,
Pinfield Stephen,
Bawden David,
Robinson Lyn
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
proceedings of the association for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 2373-9231
DOI - 10.1002/pra2.177
Subject(s) - credibility , publishing , value (mathematics) , work (physics) , action (physics) , psychology , mood , public relations , engineering ethics , epistemology , social psychology , computer science , political science , engineering , mechanical engineering , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , machine learning , law
The relationship between theory and practice has long been considered problematic for many applied academic disciplines. In this short paper we report preliminary findings from a two‐year research project investigating the ways and the extent that theory and practice have interacted in the development of open‐access (OA) approaches to the publishing and dissemination of research outputs. Based on interviews with practitioners and researchers working on OA related issues, we explore the ways in which theory is (and isn't) of value to practice. We find that while practitioners acknowledge that theory has the potential to improve understanding, bestow credibility on work, and codify existing knowledge about OA, they also perceive it as “mood music” to the practical work of OA, lacking explicit links to action.