“If I have been able to see further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants” – this famous quote from a letter by Isaac Newton is still a wonderful metaphor for the work of scientists. Research is always founded on other research, and it becomes a foundation for others’ research – at least if other scientists can (afford to) access the relevant publication. With 24000 peer-reviewed journals worldwide, that can be difficult. But the internet now provides a new way to “become a giant”: Researchers can complement access to their own published journal articles by also “self-archiving” them on the web....
To create a repository, an institution only installs a free GNU software. It is worth the effort: Complementary self-archiving increases the citation impact of an article by up to 250%. However, only 15% of scientists as yet enjoy this benefit. Some research institutions and funders (including the EC) are already proposing to request or even require open access self-archiving. But scientists only tap its full potential if they make their articles accessible immediately upon acceptance for publication. 93% of journals already allow that. Even for the rest, the self-archiving software offers a solution: If someone clicks on the title of the article, an automatic e-mail requests an e-print from the author.
In [the ESOF2006 open access] session, scientists and representatives of scientific and funding institutions are introduced to open-access self-archiving and its effect on research impact.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 4/26/2006 01:13:00 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.
