SoLT Seminar : The future of academic publishing.

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Academia and academic publishing operate as two parts of an ecosystem. As in any ecosystem, they are dependent on each other: academics 'publish or perish', academic content is the essential element in the publishing process. But given that academia is publicly funded and publishing is a profit-making venture increasingly exposed to shareholder expectation, this dependent relationship is an uneasy one for many academics. Academia and academic publishing are driven by very different motivations. Academics must balance competing priorities in the university system; the need to provide quality materials for their students and the need to reduce their impact on faculty budgets. Taking these elements into negotiations with publishers who are engaging in increasingly aggressive sales tactics creates a volatile environment. It is important for academics and faculty staff to be fully aware of their obligations under university rules and education sector legislation. Ruth Jelley has been researching open education practices with the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law Teaching and Learning team since late 2012.