Appy Sluijs

(foto: Jussi Puikkonen / KNAW)

Dr. Appy Sluijs is a researcher at Utrecht University, and member of the Young Academy of the KNAW (Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences). His research focuses on climate and climate change in the geological past. In his view Open Access is very important, since his publication have very often local relevance. "I think Open Access is a very good thing, because it provides the opportunity for everybody on the entire world to look at scientific publications for free."

In this short interview Appy Sluijs also explains about the Open Access journals of the European Geosciences Union, that have an open reviewing system. Readers can comment on the first version of a paper and with this, the authors can improve the paper for final publication. He talks about the grant he received from the European Research Council, and his obligation to publish Open Access and deposit his data. Appy Sluijs believes that this is the only way to transparency and reuse of science. It’s something that researchers should want themselves, instead of having to be forced to do this by the ERC.

"Every scientist by heart wants to publish Open Access, as long as they know what it is, what it means"