I took a poll of my blog readers on how strongly they feel about open access.
Is open access more than a buzzword?
Are scientists willing to go beyond talk and take actions?
If the results of the poll are any indication the message is that most scientists are indeed changing their publishing habits to be more friendly toward open access and less involved with closed access publishing.
About two out of three respondents said that felt strongly enough to change their publishing habits. One in five felt extremely strongly such that they are essentially boycotting closed-access publishing.
The million-dollar question is whether scientists in “the wild” will actually change their habits to a significant enough degree to fundamentally shift publishing. One might argue that the success of open access ventures such as PLoS One, now the most active peer reviewed journal in science, is a sign that such change is already underway.