Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/news/article/438/open-access-speeds-use-by-others-o
f-scientific-papers-study-finds
"Open Access Speeds Use by Others of Scientific Papers, Study Finds
In the continuing debate about open access to scientific literature, the
pro-access side gained strength with a study, published this afternoon,
that says that, during the first four to 16 months after publication,
papers with free access get cited more often than those that require
subscriptions. The study appears in an open-access journal, PLoS
Biology, and was written by Gunther Eysenbach, of the University of
Toronto, who also edits another open-access journal, the Journal of
Medical Internet Research."
snip
Mr. Eysenbach found that the open-access papers were twice as likely as
the password-protected articles to be cited four to 10 months after
publication, and almost three times as likely from 10 to 16 months
afterward. Not yet clear is whether the open-access advantage increases
citation in the long run or whether the trend is similar for other
journals.
The study is at:
http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.13
71/journal.pbio.0040157
Chuck Hamaker
Associate University Librarian Collections and Technical Services
Atkins Library
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Charlotte, NC 28223
phone 704 687-2825
Received on Wed May 17 2006 - 11:37:59 BST