----- Original Message -----
From: Thomas J. Walker <tjw_at_GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
To: <AMERICAN-SCIENTIST-OPEN-ACCESS-FORUM_at_LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG>
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 1999 8:46 AM
Subject: What are researchers willing to do?
> Researchers should be highly motivated to make their refereed articles
> freely accessible on the Web. Thus far, however, their interest and
> actions relative to such access have been minimal. For example, few life
> scientists have taken the offered opportunity to post their refereed
> articles on central e-print servers.
>
> I was therefore pleased to find, at three talks given to groups of 25 or
> more life-science researchers during the past year, that most such
> researchers have finally concluded that the Web will revolutionize their
> access to journal articles. Also they are beginning to realize that free
> Web access is affordable and much more desirable than the tollgate access
> that most publishers are currently planning and implementing.
>
> To find out what those attending my two most recent talks were willing to
> do to promote free access, I asked in a questionnaire if they would--
>
<snip>
> (3) post their old articles on their home pages without permissions from
> copyright-holding publishers?
>
> [80% would]
Interesting that 80% said that they will break the law. Is ignorance of the
law or something else behind this?
Received on Wed Feb 10 1999 - 19:17:43 GMT