The Open Access Movement is gaining momentum with several recent developments.
Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is now accepting submissions for its new journal PLoS Medicine. Look for the first issue to be published in October 2004. All articles will be free to view online. The PLoS model uses author fees and paid print subscriptions to support publication.
PLoS Biology, launched in 2003 using the same model, has already established a reputation for quality. In less than a year its articles are already showing up with significant citations from other scholarly literature (per ISI).
PLoS Medicine
Citation Analysis of Open Access Journals
The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) has published a white paper entitled “The Impact of Open Access Journals.” While most of the new journals are too young to have had much impact in their fields, the analysis is interesting. ISI has set itself the task of watching and reporting on trends in this literature, and expects to issue regular updates of this paper.
BioMed Central, a source of dozens of new open access titles, was extremely pleased with the ISI report showing significant citations accrued to established BMC titles.
Elsevier Announces Change in Policy
Giant publishing house Elsevier has had a change of heart. The publisher will now permit authors of works published in its hundreds of scientific journals to self-archive their work. That is, authors will be allowed to store digital copies of their articles on local computer systems, and allow free public access to those copies. The policy has yet to be implemented, but most open access advocates agree that it is a major breakthrough.
Link to an Information Today article
Scientific Journal Changes Its Business Model
Oxford Journals, a Division of Oxford University Press, recently announced that the respected journal Nucleic Acids Research will move to an open access economic model. Access to the electronic articles will be free to all viewers, and the publication will be supported by author fees.
According to their press release: “NAR is a highly respected journal, listed by ISI as one of the top ten 'hottest' journals of the decade in biology and biochemistry (1), and with a world-renowned editorial team. It has been published under a subscription model for 32 years and includes around 1000 original research papers per year, making NAR the first journal of such stature to make a complete switch from a subscription to OA model.”
Read the full press release (June 26, 2004)
