Scientific Societies' Publishing Arms Unite Against Open-Access Movement

By LILA GUTERMAN

FIGHTING BACK: Bristling at their portrayal as outmoded, pricey, and unfairly restrictive, 48 nonprofit publishing arms of scientific and medical societies have formed a united front against the increasingly popular open-access movement.

The publishers released the "Washington DC Principles for Free Access to Science" at a news conference last week, with hopes of shifting the spotlight away from Harold E. Varmus, a Nobel laureate who helped start an organization called the Public