Re: Author Publication Charge Debate

From: Jan Velterop <jan_at_biomedcentral.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:34:22 +0000

> Albert Henderson wrote:
>
>ah> The frustration is rooted in the failure of universities to meet their
>ah> obligations to support research and education with decent libraries. The
>ah> universities have campaigned long and hard using myths and slogans as
>ah> the core of propaganda aimed at shifing blame to publishers. Only the
>ah> most naive and trusting could accept any of it.
>
> Jean-Claude Guédon wrote:
>
>jcg> No, the frustration is the kind of frustration you witness when whole
>jcg> editorial boards move to create a new, alternate solutions to the absurd
>jcg> and obscenely... priced commercial journals.
>
> A.R. Suhail wrote:
>
>ars> I don't understand what point is being made here - OA journals are
>ars> just as extremely commercial and just as obscenely priced
>ars> (depends to whom) too!

I don't think notions like 'propaganda' and 'blame' are really in order
in this discussion. Neither are high horses. We need strong, fast and
agile horses. The old-line toll-access model is just not appropriate
anymore in the current circumstances. The development of the web has
made virtually unlimited dissemination possible, yet the application
of an analogue of the print subscription model to online publishing
counters this possibility and imposes restrictions that are unnatural
and unnecessary.

New business models need to be developed to suit the circumstances and
the input-paid Open Access model is one well on the way of proving its
feasibility and economic viability.

Where no Open Access journals are available, or for those, like Suhail,
who do not seem to accept the costs of such a service, Open Access can
be achieved by self-archiving in open institutional repositories.

Isn't it interesting again to see, also in this debate, two opinions
from completely opposite ends of the spectrum come together in their
rejection of a practical solution to the problematic issues science
publishing faces?

Deja Vu all over again.

Jan Velterop
BioMedCentral
Received on Thu Feb 12 2004 - 14:34:22 GMT