{"id":45061,"date":"2026-10-28T12:20:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T12:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=45061"},"modified":"2026-10-28T12:20:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T12:20:48","slug":"vut-library-webinar-examines-barriers-to-accessing-and-publishing-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/vut-library-webinar-examines-barriers-to-accessing-and-publishing-research\/","title":{"rendered":"VUT Library webinar examines barriers to accessing and publishing research"},"content":{"rendered":"

“VUT Library\u2019s Open Access Week webinar examined publishing costs, equitable access to research and agreements that support eligible authors.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

28 October 2026 | Story by: Staff Reporter<\/strong> | Seswant\u0161ho: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Metsotso e 3 nako ya go bala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \"VUT\n
\n \n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cost of publishing research and unequal access to scholarly information came under scrutiny during a Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Library webinar held on 20 October 2026 to mark International Open Access Week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the theme \u201cThe Cost of Knowledge\u201d, the webinar examined financial barriers to accessing and publishing research, alongside agreements that can help eligible researchers make their work freely available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers included retired VUT Professor Babs Surujlal, Ms Leen Samara from Springer Nature in Dubai, Mr Phillip De Kock from Springer Nature in South Africa, and VUT library staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Surujlal cautioned that open access had widened readership but had not necessarily removed the financial barriers facing authors. His presentation considered who pays for knowledge, who benefits from it and who gets to participate in producing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that traditional publishing models often restricted access to readers whose institutions could afford journal subscriptions or who could pay for individual articles. Open access enables wider circulation of research, but some journals charge authors substantial publication fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOpen access does not necessarily mean free publishing for authors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Surujlal warned that article processing charges could disadvantage emerging researchers, academics at institutions with limited resources and scholars in disciplines where external funding is scarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf publication depends increasingly on the ability to pay, we risk creating a system in which researchers with financial resources are better positioned to gain visibility, while equally capable researchers at smaller or less-resourced universities struggle to have their work published,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also cautioned against predatory publishers that collect fees without maintaining appropriate peer-review processes or editorial standards. He argued that efforts to expand open access should strengthen African research systems and enable fair participation in knowledge production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his opening remarks, Dr Musa Khomo, VUT Library Manager: Client Services, highlighted the library\u2019s responsibility to support researchers and postgraduate students throughout the publication process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOpen access is more than simply making a scholarly publication available online. It is about promoting equitable access to knowledge, increasing visibility, encouraging collaboration and strengthening the contribution of universities to society,\u201d said Dr Khomo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said this support included helping researchers identify credible journals, understand publishing agreements and explore affordable opportunities to publish their findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Samara outlined how transformative agreements combine access to subscription content with opportunities for eligible researchers to publish open access. Negotiated between publishers and institutions or consortia, these arrangements can cover publication fees under specified conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that eligibility depends on the agreement\u2019s terms, including institutional affiliation, the selected journal and the researcher\u2019s role as corresponding author. Such arrangements can reduce the financial burden on individual authors while widening access to their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VUT Research Librarian Ms Sibongile Mtsweni discussed the library\u2019s membership of the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC), which negotiates agreements with publishers on behalf of participating institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said these agreements could help researchers access scholarly content and, where applicable, publish open access under negotiated conditions. Publication support remains subject to the relevant agreement\u2019s terms, eligibility requirements and available funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe main aim of transformative agreements is to make research freely accessible and available to all members of society. As a taxpayer, you should get value for your money because publicly funded research should have the potential to benefit society,\u201d said Ms Mtsweni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also outlined potential benefits for eligible authors, including a simpler publishing process, greater research visibility and wider knowledge sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The webinar\u2019s focus on equitable access to knowledge aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, which promotes inclusive and equitable education and lifelong learning. Making scholarly research more accessible can support these aims by broadening the resources available for teaching, learning and further research, while helping students and academics participate more fully in the exchange of knowledge.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“VUT Library\u2019s Open Access Week webinar examined publishing costs, equitable access to research and agreements that support eligible authors.” 28 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":45110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t