... Why did you choose not to submit your paper to a traditional peer-reviewed journal?
I think peer review is important, but the journal-operated system is severely broken. I suspected this paper would get some attention, and I chose not to support any academic journal by submitting it. Under the current system, authors (who aren't paid) give ownership of their papers to journals that have reviewers (who aren't paid) approve them before publishing the papers and charging exorbitant fees to view them. These reviewers don't always do a great job, and the journals aren't providing much value in exchange for their fees. ... I think a better peer-review system could evolve from reviewers with good reputations picking the papers they find interesting out of an open pool, such as the physics arXiv, and commenting on them. This is essentially what happened with my paper, which received a lot of attention from physics bloggers?—?it's been an example of open, collaborative peer review. ...
How will "open science" and other new ways of sharing information transform science?
I think we're in the midst of a gradual revolution, following the rise of the Internet. The success of the physics arXiv?—?where physicists post freely available versions of their papers?—?has made it possible for anyone to access the literature from anywhere. This let me move to Maui 10 years ago and stay in touch with the field. Now an NIH mandate, requiring that publicly funded papers be posted to PubMed [Central], will produce the same liberating effect in other fields. The net is also affecting the way scientists work directly, with wikis and blogs used for discussions, collaborations, and individual note keeping. These new tools, along with online social networks, allow geographically independent researchers to keep in perpetual, productive contact. ...
... Most OA advocates are quick to point out that open-access doesn't necessarily mean the end of publishers or peer-review. "In my view, it makes them both even more important, though both will of necessity be forced to evolve some new methods to deal with the new world," John Wilbanks wrote last month.
But....what about that peer-review system? Will that be the next stodgy institution to go? ...
Posted by
Gavin Baker at 11/19/2008 09:08:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
