ABSTRACT
In this chapter we continue our analysis of the views of researchers and practitioners on their engagement with the theory and practice of open access. Here we turn to the value our interviewees placed on theory in relation to practice and the challenges they faced in actively engaging with theory. The key question of bridging the theory-practice gap was a concern of our participants, and we begin to address that challenge here. We outline how our participants believed researchers could help bridge the gap, including re-evaluating how they frame and communicate their work. The issue of how researchers identify key research questions in the first place is also raised. We then consider perspectives on actions required by practitioners, and the OA community in general in addressing the theory-practice gap. We go on to examine the key concept of the boundary spanner — an important finding to emerge in our work with OA actors.
