Wednesday, December 18, 2002

Scientists Plan 2 Online Journals to Make Articles Available 'Freely and Universally' By ANDREA L. FOSTER Having failed to force journals to post their content online for anyone to use, a group of scientists announced Tuesday that they planned to publish two new scholarly journals of their own online, free of charge to readers. The scientists have received a $9-million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to help pay for the project. Readers will be able to redistribute the articles in the two journals without limitation, the scientists said. The journals, to be titled Public Library of Science Biology and Public Library of Science Medicine, are expected to start publication during the last half of 2003. The goal of the journals is to have scientists' works "freely and universally available from the moment of publication," the group said, "without sacrificing the recognition and audience that a reputable journal can provide." The scientists are organized as a group called the Public Library of Science. The group said its electronic publications, which readers will gain access to over the Internet, will have all the important features of respected scientific journals, "including rigorous peer review and high editorial standards." The group also will publish the journals in print at a cost that will cover printing and distribution expenses, said Patrick O. Brown, a spokesman for the Public Library of Science and a professor of biochemistry at Stanford University's medical school. Early last year, the group urged scientists to boycott scientific and scholarly journals that refused to make articles freely available online no more than six months after their original publication (The Chronicle, April 6, 2001). Although more than 30,000 people in 177 countries signed the boycott pledge, according to the group, few of them followed through on the threat. So the group decided to start its own journals to compete with traditional publishers (The Chronicle, May 31, 2002). Initially the group will ask authors to pay about $1,500 per article to have papers published in either of the two journals. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit institute that conducts and finances medical research, said it endorses the group's goals and will help pay its researchers' costs of publishing in the new journals, according to an institute spokesman. Background articles from The Chronicle: Boycott Over Lack of Online Access to Journals Is a Bust (5/31/2002) Publisher of Free Online Science Journal Charges Authors a 'Processing Fee' (1/18/2002) 40 Computer Scientists Abandon a Print Journal for an Online Competitor (11/2/2001) Scholars Urge Boycott of Journals That Won't Join Free Archives (4/6/2001) Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

Florida's designated chancellor of public colleges abruptly turns down job Former Tyco director quits Seton Hall's board, pleads guilty to felony fraud Boston U. and donor end dispute over $3-million gift Case Western Reserve and its teaching hospitals heal rift over research resources and credit Scientists plan 2 online journals to make articles available "freely and universally"