For those who are newer to OA, here is a simpler explanation of what
Stevan Harnad has already said in more detail:
Distribution is not the same as publication.
The academic publishing process involves careful selection of articles,
which are then reviewed by expert peer reviewers and professional
edited. Accepted and complete articles are then published in scholarly
journals with a known reputation for quality, whether determined by
impact factor, the publishing body (e.g. professional society,
university press), and/or the reputation of the editorial board.
Open access requires one change in distribution (access): at least one
copy of an article must be freely available to anyone, anywhere.
OA does not require any changes to the publishing process per se.
Not that OA requires the publishing industry to remain static, either -
OA is completely compatible with a publishing industry that is evolving
just as every other industry is evolving in our world - it's just that
access and publication processes are two separate issues.
hope this helps,
Heather Morrison
On 12-Nov-04, at 7:20 AM, Rick Anderson wrote:
> ---
> Moderator's Note:
> This posting is redirected from AmSci Topic thread:
> "Drubbing Peter to Pay Paul" (2004)
> http://listserver.sigmaxi.org/sc/wa.exe?A2=ind04&L=american-scientist-
> open-access-forum&D=1&O=D&F=l&P=99000
>
> Prior AmSci Threads:
> "Self-Archiving vs. Self-Publishing FAQ" (2000)
> http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Hypermail/Amsci/0500.html
> http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Hypermail/Amsci/3249.html
> ---
>
> Stevan Harnad wrote:
>
>> The only major recommendation of the UK Select Committee
>> was to mandate OA self-archiving. Yet no one (MPs, press,
>> publishers or librarians) can stop going on and on about OA
>> publishing,
>> which was *not* what was being mandated!
>
> This is a distinction without a difference. Whether you place your
> article in an OA journal or deposit it in an OA archive, the result is
> publication either way. In both cases, the article is being distributed
> to the public (i.e., published) on an OA basis. In other words, to
> mandate OA self-archiving is to mandate OA publishing -- by the author,
> in cooperation with whoever manages the archive.
>
> Rick Anderson
> Dir. of Resource Acquisition
> Univ. of Nevada, Reno Libraries
> (775) 784-6500 x273
> rickand_at_unr.edu
>
Heather G. Morrison
Project Coordinator
BC Electronic Library Network
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phone: 604-268-7001
Fax: 604-291-3023
Email: heatherm_at_eln.bc.ca
Web:
http://www.eln.bc.ca
Received on Fri Nov 12 2004 - 21:39:47 GMT