Analysis & Policy Observatory

Analysis & Policy Observatory (more commonly known as APO) is a not-for-profit open access repository or digital library, specialising in public policy grey literature, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, with some coverage of other countries. Formerly known as Australian Policy Online, the organisation underwent a name change to Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO) in 2017.

Background

APO was established in 2002 at, and continues to be hosted by, Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. It was intended as a way to collate and disseminate academic research reports and other grey literature that was increasingly proliferating online. It has since established itself as a notable resource for people involved in policy research in Australia and New Zealand.[1] APO is a not-for-profit organisation supported by partnerships with academic institutions and government agencies, research grants and advertising and services revenue.[2] APO's major partner is ANZSOG and it has also been awarded a number of Australian Research Council grants.

Purpose

APO was established to address the transformation of production for publications brought about by the internet. Frustrations with the limitations of the academic publishing system – long delays, lack of access or a limited audience – were causing producers of academic and other content to move online and increasingly produce grey literature (informally published material, such as reports, that may be difficult to trace via conventional channels). The informal channels used to disseminate digital grey literature have meant that libraries and other services have only been able to collect it in an ad hoc manner. APO aims to make digital research content that is relevant to Australian policy debates more easily accessible and usable to promote more evidence-informed decision-making.[3]

Activities

APO specialises in cataloguing grey literature on public policy from academic research centres, think tanks, government and non-government organisations. As well as research, the site includes a smaller collection of opinion and commentary pieces, video, audio and web resources focused on policy issues.[4] APO's open access digital repository is searchable and APO provides a free email newsletter service that notifies subscribers of the latest additions to the repository.

References
  1. Bellamy, C., Gibbs, M., Williamson, A., Sean Cubit, S. (December 2011). "Political Issue Analysis System: Policy deliberation in the age of information abundance" Archived 2014-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 October 2013 from "Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society" Archived 2010-09-18 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. "Funding and support" Archived 2014-03-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 March 2014 from "Policy Online".
  3. Mackey, M., Magnifico, C., Tyler, K. (August 2013). "The Effects of the Internet and Open Access on the Usage of Grey Literature: a review of the literature". Retrieved 18 November 2013 from "Scribd".
  4. "Useful research and policy databases". Retrieved 17 October 2013 from "Media Access Australia".
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