[ba-ohs-talk] Fwd: [PORT-L] Free access to all research papers
>From: "John F. Sowa" <sowa@BESTWEB.NET>
>Subject: [PORT-L] Free access to all research papers
>To: PORT-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
>
>For many years, all research papers in physics have been freely
>available on the WWW before they were published in the print journals.
>
>Now, a $3 million grant from George Soros is designed to support
>free publication of all research papers in all academic fields.
>
>So far, free publication on the WWW has not made the printed versions
>of the physics journals obsolete, but it will undoubtedly make some
>changes in the publishing world.
>
>Following is the opening section and URL of an article on this topic.
>
>John Sowa
>_______________________________________________________________________
>
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/newsid_1818000/1818652.stm
>
>Plans to extend free access to scientific and academic research papers
>have received a boost with the announcement of a $3m grant from
>financier and philanthropist George Soros' Open Society Institute.
>
>Budapest Open Access Initiative: "The literature that should be freely
>accessible online is that which scholars give to the world without
>expectation of payment."
>
>Open access advocate Professor Stevan Harnad of the University of
>Southampton, UK, says the money could make it easier for academics
>wanting to set up their own alternatives to commercially run journals.
>"The vast potential benefits of open access to research and researchers
>are already there... but the subsidy lowers the entry barriers for
>would-be open-access initiatives," he said.
>
>Critics of commercial journals say their subscription charges hamper
>research at institutes and in countries where research budgets are
>tight. They say that researchers write and review papers for free,
>so the journals should not charge to read them.
>
>"They don't want to get paid, what they want is that other researchers
>should read and use their work," Professor Harnad told BBC News Online.
>"The fact that their literature is treated for trade is anathema," he
>said. (01)