Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Who pays for OA?

Helen Doyle, Andy Gass, Rebecca Kennison, Who Pays for Open Access? PLoS Biology, April 13, 2004. The first in a series of responses to widespread misunderstandings about OA. Excerpt: "Here we address...the perception that the publication-charge model puts an unfair burden on authors. Subsequently, we will address concerns about the long-term economic viability of the open-access model, the integrity and quality of work published in open-access journals, and the effect that open access will have on scholarly societies....Perhaps the real misconception about the unfair burden that open access places on authors resides in the terminology --the term 'author charge' is itself misleading. Publication fees are not borne purely by authors, but are shared by the many organizations whose missions depend on the broadest possible dissemination and communication of scientific discoveries."