EU investigates open access scientific publication, an unsigned news story in the June 15 News-Medical.Net. Excerpt: "The EU Commission has launched a study on the economic and technical evolution of the scientific publication markets in Europe, the results of which will be available in 2005. The objective is to determine the conditions required for optimum operation of the sector and to assess the extent to which the Commission can help to meet those conditions. The study will deal with the main topics of the current public debate, such as the future of printed scientific reviews, the risks associated with increases in the price of publications in terms of access to information for researchers, open access to research findings for all and the need to reconcile authors' rights and the economic interests of publishers....The Commission has therefore decided to launch this study in order to answer the following questions: [1] What are the main changes in Europe? [2] What and who is driving change and why? If there is any resistance to positive change, what/who is blocking it? [3] What are the consequences for users (authors, readers, libraries)?"
Update. This is not an unsigned news story, just a verbatim copy of an EU press release. The EU has since posted the official version of the press release to its web site (another copy).
Posted by
Peter Suber at 6/16/2004 08:25:00 AM.
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.
