PLoS has issued a call for papers for PLoS Clinical Trials, its sixth peer-reviewed, open access journal.
From the journal web site: 'Clinical trials --and particularly randomized trials-- are critical in delivering reliable evidence about the efficacy of an intervention. Clinical trial data can also provide important information about the potential adverse effects of treatment. Currently, not all trials on human participants are reported in the peer-reviewed literature. PLoS Clinical Trials aims to fill this gap. The journal will broaden the scope of clinical trials reporting by publishing the results of randomized clinical trials in humans from all medical and public health disciplines. Publication decisions will not be affected by the direction of results, size or perceived importance of the trial. As an open–access journal, all articles published in the journal will be immediately and freely available online. Join us in supporting these goals, and get your paper read by the widest possible audience: submit your trial results today.'
From the press release (October 18): 'The Public Library of Science (PLoS) today announces PLoS Clinical Trials, an innovative new journal devoted to peer-reviewing and publishing reports of randomized clinical trials in all areas of healthcare. The journal differs from other medical journals in one crucial respect. It will publish all trials that are ethically and scientifically sound and entered into an internationally accepted registry, regardless of the trial's size or whether the results are positive or negative. PLoS Clinical Trials is now accepting manuscripts in advance of its spring 2006 launch. Around half of all completed trial reports are thought to go unpublished. These unpublished trial reports differ systematically from those that are published in the direction and strength of the findings, thus distorting the evidence base for decision-making in healthcare. "Unpublished results undermine the trust between patients and investigators and slow the vast potential of medical progress," says Dr Christian Gluud of Copenhagen University Hospital, a member of the Advisory Board of PLoS Clinical Trials. Traditional medical journals publish only the highest profile clinical trials (typically positive trials), partly because the journals must attract revenues from subscriptions and selling reprints. PLoS Clinical Trials avoids this problem --it doesn't have to sell subscriptions or reprints to be viable, so it can publish the broadest range of trials.'
Posted by
Peter Suber at 10/17/2005 11:41:00 PM.
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.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
