Open Access News

In a recent editorial co-published by PLoS Medicine and the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Barbour and colleagues, employees of the Public Library of Science (PLoS), make the valid point that "print is no longer the most efficient way to disseminate information." They also argue convincingly that publicly funded researchers have a moral obligation to make the results of their research freely available to everyone....

CMAJ has embraced the policy of open access to its contents on the Internet for nearly a decade and, although it still publishes a print version, its online version is considered the official journal of record. An open-access policy for online content has clear advantages: it makes information available to all who want it regardless of their ability to pay; if necessary, publication can be immediate rather than be delayed in the line-up for print publication; there are no limitations on length; and information is easily accessible. Nevertheless, it also challenges the traditional financial model of the funding of journals through advertising and subscription....

Surprisingly few of the major (if impact factor is a measure of importance) international peer-reviewed medical journals have followed CMAJ's example. BMJ provides open access to its original research, but JAMA, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Annals of Internal Medicine have bowed to indirect pressure and now provide open access only 6 months after print publication. The Lancet as yet provides no open access. Although most commercial publishers largely follow this traditional funding model, a few commercial publishers are tip-toeing into the open-access, publication-fee model.

Will print journals eventually disappear? Probably not, since we all like the leisure of leafing through our favourite medical journals. But it is clear that busy physicians looking for reliable information on a specific topic will more and more rely on the Internet. Journal publishers and editors will have to explore financial models to secure the viability of Internet and print journal formats, but we adamantly maintain that medical information arising from publicly funded research and from studies involving volunteer subjects in pharmaceutically supported clinical trials must be freely available. The whole purpose of medical research is to provide reliable and valuable health information to the profession and the public. To put that information up for ransom is not acceptable.