AISR
Encourages Faculty Publication in the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a nonprofit organization of
scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific
and medical literature a public resource. Funded by significant grants
from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and in-kind support from
the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, PLoS launched its first journal,
PLoS Biology, in October 2003. PLoS Biology already ranks in the top tier of life science journals, with a preliminary impact factor of 13.9.
PLoS journals now include:
- PLoS Medicine, launched in October 2004
- PLoS Computational Biology, launched in June 2005
- PLoS Genetics, launched in July 2005
- PLoS Pathogens, launched in September 2005
PLoS argues that the traditional system of scientific publication places
the narrow interests of publishers before the public interest and greatly
diminishes the value of the more than $50 billion dollars invested by
US taxpayers each year in scientific and medical research. It engages
in advocacy to individual scholars, administrators, publishers, politicians
and the public for changes in the system.
The Public Library of Science's first initiative was an open letter,
urging publishers to allow the research reports that have appeared in
their journals to be distributed freely by independent, online public
libraries of science. Several Jefferson faculty signed the letter.
The PLoS publishing model requires authors to pay a publication fee. Several granting agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, allow such fees to be paid from grant funds. PLoS journals are simultaneously published in a print format, as well as open-access electronic format, and they are archived in PubMed Central. The editorial policy makes allowance for unfunded authors:
"Authors are asked to pay $1500 upon acceptance of their article, to help defray the costs of publication... However, if you have insufficient funds to cover this payment, we will allow payment of whatever amount you can afford or will waive the charge entirely. Inability to pay will never influence the decision whether to publish a paper. Editors and reviewers are blind to the information about whether authors can pay. " (from the editorial policy statement of PLoS Biology)
Find Out More About PLoS
Scott Library's goal is to assist Jefferson faculty in communicating
the important new knowledge they discover in a way that reaches the
widest relevant audience while also retaining the copyright to their
intellectual property. In additional, we seek to minimize the cost of
acquiring the knowledge-based resources (journals and books) the University's
faculty, students and staff require by working with academic partners
internationally.
For questions regarding the Public Library of Science, please contact
Edward Tawyea, Director of AISR and University Librarian, at 215-503-8848
or Edward.Tawyea@jefferson.edu.
