Article type
Abstract
"Background:
Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. It is owned by Cochrane and published by Wiley under a subscription model.
During 2015-2020, the Library had consistent usage patterns characterized by steady year-on-year growth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this: in 2020, Cochrane provided free access to the Library for three months, with COVID-related content remaining freely accessible until September 2022.
This significantly changed usage patterns, and this poster assesses how insights from this could be used to inform future equity of access strategies for organisations considering Open Access publishing models.
Objective: To identify insights from the usage of the Cochrane Library in 2020, and to propose recommendations for the future.
Main Content:
This poster describes a comparative analysis of usage patterns across three periods: pre-, during and post-pandemic.
We explore how the changes to the Library’s access model in 2020 impacted the usage profile for Cochrane Reviews, and give insight into the implications of this decision for open access and equity of access strategy.
Methods:
Website analytics analysis to examine usage trends and behaviour patterns.
Results:
By examining website usage in the context of the pandemic and change in access models, we observed suggestive patterns: free access drove increased usage; Covid-specific content clearly (but not exclusively) drove increased usage; uplift was seen globally and across languages; some correlation is seen between free access, content topic, social media coverage and traffic referrals.
Conclusion:
While it is not possible to separate the usage increase from the content topic, it appears that i. free access brought increased usage to Cochrane Library, ii. traffic increased from non-academic/ non-clinical referrers, and iii. increased usage was seen globally and across translation languages.
It seems likely that changing to an open access model for the Library will benefit equity of access globally, but that this will bring more diverse users from a wider range of “entry points”.
Recommendations include: broadening engagement and understanding of Cochrane Library content, by investing in user-centred design and technology to support equity; and piloting AI to create dissemination products for diverse audiences. "
Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. It is owned by Cochrane and published by Wiley under a subscription model.
During 2015-2020, the Library had consistent usage patterns characterized by steady year-on-year growth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this: in 2020, Cochrane provided free access to the Library for three months, with COVID-related content remaining freely accessible until September 2022.
This significantly changed usage patterns, and this poster assesses how insights from this could be used to inform future equity of access strategies for organisations considering Open Access publishing models.
Objective: To identify insights from the usage of the Cochrane Library in 2020, and to propose recommendations for the future.
Main Content:
This poster describes a comparative analysis of usage patterns across three periods: pre-, during and post-pandemic.
We explore how the changes to the Library’s access model in 2020 impacted the usage profile for Cochrane Reviews, and give insight into the implications of this decision for open access and equity of access strategy.
Methods:
Website analytics analysis to examine usage trends and behaviour patterns.
Results:
By examining website usage in the context of the pandemic and change in access models, we observed suggestive patterns: free access drove increased usage; Covid-specific content clearly (but not exclusively) drove increased usage; uplift was seen globally and across languages; some correlation is seen between free access, content topic, social media coverage and traffic referrals.
Conclusion:
While it is not possible to separate the usage increase from the content topic, it appears that i. free access brought increased usage to Cochrane Library, ii. traffic increased from non-academic/ non-clinical referrers, and iii. increased usage was seen globally and across translation languages.
It seems likely that changing to an open access model for the Library will benefit equity of access globally, but that this will bring more diverse users from a wider range of “entry points”.
Recommendations include: broadening engagement and understanding of Cochrane Library content, by investing in user-centred design and technology to support equity; and piloting AI to create dissemination products for diverse audiences. "