The SPARC Author Addendum allows authors to retain critical rights, including the right of authors to post articles in online repositories. Science Commons is creating a machine-readable version of the SPARC Author Addendum that can be read by Internet search engines, as well as a text version that functions as a legal tool. The enhanced SPARC Author Addendum will be made available on the SPARC web site once the project is completed in early spring. The effort represents a continuation of Science Commons’ effort to promote access and voluntary sharing in scientific publications. This cooperation advances three goals shared by SPARC and Science Commons: to support authors’ right to distribute scholarship over the Internet, to promote access and reuse of the scientific literature, and to facilitate author self-archiving.
“The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill encourages authors to use the SPARC Author Addendum, and it fulfills a pressing need that all researchers and scholars have,” said Sarah Michalak, University Librarian and Associate Provost for University Libraries. “Having an electronic version at our fingertips will make it even easier for authors to do what it takes to maintain critical rights. The enhanced SPARC Author Addendum empowers researchers and authors to advocate for themselves in their relationship with their publisher, and it has the potential to revolutionize the scholarly communication system.”
”Creative Commons licenses are in use throughout the Open Access Literature movement because publishers across the spectrum have recognized the value of standard licensing to allow reuse and sharing of the scientific canon. By creating a machine-readable version of the SPARC Author Addendum, Science Commons will make it easier for scientists to utilize their rights to share their own work using web publishing software and search engines,” said John Wilbanks, Executive Director of Science Commons.
“Copyright and licensing is the next frontier for authors who seek broad, deep exposure of their work,” said Heather Joseph, SPARC Director. “Analysis of data clearly shows that research available free on the Web reaches a far greater number of people than for-fee research. In this Internet age, with the global exchange of information more important than ever, there is no reason authors must be limited by restrictive publishing agreements. The SPARC Author Addendum is a tool that allows authors the freedom to re-use their work in whatever forum is most appropriate. Science Commons will create a way for them to do this quickly, easily, and in a manner that is legally binding.”
Posted by
Peter Suber at 1/17/2006 03:51:00 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.
