The combination of the electronic medium and the world wide opens up a world of possibilities - open access to the scholarly literature being only one. Scholars around the world and across disciplines can work together on their research using electronic means....It is through open sharing of information and working collaboratively rather than competitively that the human genome was mapped in an amazingly short time. We could take this approach to other important research questions - like how to find economical, renewable, environmentally friendly sources of energy; or, a renewed focus on the humanities and social sciences research that could lead to the answers to the question of how we can live together in peace in this global village of a modern world. Until we grasp this full potential, open access to the peer-reviewed postprint might look to some like a little piece of a puzzle. The moment you shift to this bigger picture, the puzzle piece falls into place. The beauty and necessity of open access - and the sheer folly of pursuing any other model - is immediately obvious.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 2/10/2006 11:29:00 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.
