Yu-li Wang and 14 coauthors, Biomedical Research Publication System, Science Magazine, March 26, 2004 (accessible only to subscribers). Excerpt: "In the present system, journal Web sites serve primarily as 'mirrors' of paper journals and therefore can publish only a limited number of accepted manuscripts. However, as the output of research increases, existing journals no longer provide sufficient space for the volume of information....There are a number of serious consequences to this problem. The direction of research is dictated more and more by publishability in high-profile journals, instead of by strict scientific considerations, while fields not deemed fashionable are facing an increasing shortage of young researchers....The fierce competition for publication in high-profile journals may encourage aggressive behavior and discourage others from staying in academic research. We believe that modifying the current system may alleviate the above problems. Because of the striking differences in volume and cost, paper journals should be used to complement, rather than duplicate, what is published on the Web. Thus, the new system we propose would consist of a high-capacity Web site for posting peer-reviewed papers. A paper version of the journal would be reserved for the fraction of the Web-published papers that have made the strongest impact." (Thanks to Alexei Koudinov.) (PS: Note that this proposal is equally compatible with open-access and toll-access models. One advantage not mentioned by the authors is that it would make it easier for journals to experiment with OA.)
Posted by
Peter Suber at 3/26/2004 08:54:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
