Access to Literature and the Progress of Science Rosalind Reid Editor, American Scientist Symposium Scientific Publishing: What Does the Future Hold? Lehigh University November 12, 2005

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over and over again. The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

high article charges? “impact factor” T E X, PDF, MathML arXiv preprints big, costly databases developing-country issues journal proliferation author copyright institutional repositories resistance to granting credit for online publication self-archiving survival of disciplinary societies new NIH policy who is maintaining the archives? library budget crises reviewer shortages duplicate publication ethics issues: fraud, plagiarism, drug money, conflict of interest large profits

high article charges? “impact factor” T E X, PDF, MathML arXiv preprints big, costly databases developing-country issues journal proliferation author copyright institutional repositories resistance to granting credit for online publication self-archiving survival of disciplinary societies new NIH policy who is maintaining the archives? library budget crises reviewer shortages duplicate publication ethics issues: fraud, plagiarism, drug money, conflict of interest large profits

Scientific publishing: an industry in flux  Internet publishing can be cheaper  Dual systems now functioning to serve traditional needs + heightened expectations  Publishers (especially commercial publishers) have invested in wonderful but costly systems for rapid online delivery and broad searching  Archiving responsibilities not yet sorted out  Excess revenues make society membership affordable and support other vital society activities

canonical market economy producer sells goods firm sells goods producer sells services

traditional publishing writers (content producers) gather knowledge or create literature publishers screen and select work for value add value: edit index typeset print bind distribute invest in plant and equipment to increase quality and efficiency of manufacturing return excess revenues (profits) to investors also: advertise solicit and manage subscriptions or orders register and defend copyright also: register and defend copyright booksellers newsagents display, market to readers distribute, collect sales, pay taxes libraries purchase for readers maintain archives $$$$ $$ $ agents market work to publishers

origins of scientific publishing scientists gather knowledge share as letters or lectures scholarly societies hold conferences collect and publish letters academic libraries purchase for readers maintain archives

Knowledge article: theory results replication falsification

20th-century scientific publishing scientists do research (gather knowledge) prepare results screen and select work for value referee illustrate typeset publishers screen and select work for value add value: edit index typeset print bind distribute invest in plant and equipment to increase quality and efficiency of manufacturing return excess revenues (profits) to investors also: advertise solicit and manage subscriptions or orders register and defend copyright libraries purchase subscriptions bind and maintain archives $$$$ $$

today’s scientific publishing scientists do research (gather knowledge) prepare results screen and select work for value referee illustrate typeset publishers screen and select work for value add value: edit index typeset print bind distribute invest in plant and equipment to increase quality and efficiency of manufacturing return excess revenues (profits) to investors build and serve databases and search services also: advertise solicit and manage subscriptions or orders register and defend copyright libraries purchase subscriptions bind and maintain archives $$$$ $$

SCIENTISTS PUBLISHER S professional rewards, advancement of science, meetings LIBRARIES $$ FUNDERS $$ 3. Producers of Goods 1. Suppliers of Services

Issues This is an expensive way to do business! Access for scientists Access for the funding public

U.S. research funding, FY2006 (Administration proposal): NIH $28.8 billion NSF $5.6 billion

SCIENTISTS PUBLISHER S professional rewards, advancement of science, meetings LIBRARIES $$ FUNDERS $$ 3. Producers of Goods 1. Suppliers of Services

publicaccess.nih.gov/overview.htm

Meanwhile, in the UK (policy adopted June 28, 2005)

High costs under current system Cornell University Libraries report (2004): Open access might increase costs to elite research university (or its funders) CU paid (2003): $1.7 million to Elsevier $1.3 million to other “big” commercial publishers $1 million to other publishers CU authors published 3,636 articles Cost per author if CU paid by article: $1,100

High costs under current system CUL report: “The question of author and even reader empowerment is a complex one... The need for Open Access and the consequences of publishing in this mode may vary significantly by academic discipline...” Incentives, market dynamics differ radically in alternative systems. “Author pays” works only with funded research in an environment where funder support for publication is consistent.

Alternatives

Scientific publishing: an industry in flux  Internet communication of research can be cheaper. First- copy costs are very high in elite journals. But much of current costs are in maintaining elite services while continuing traditional publishing.  Current setup provides no rewards for maintaining archives and encourages divide-and-conquer strategies and journal proliferation to maximize publisher revenue. Who is building and maintaining the Cathedral of Learning?  Scientific societies could (should?) maintain archives, but they need a new, sustainable model to support meetings and other important functions.

What publishing strategy best achieves these goals? traditional (“reader pays”) moving wall (access restriction funds access) author paysself- or institutional archiving open access (directly subsidized) efficient communication within fields preservation of the record of knowledge broadest, fastest access to literature quality peer review and publication international communication and equity

Some URLs Peter Suber’s newsletter American Scientist Open-Access forum amsci-forum.amsci.org/archives/ American-Scientist-Open-Access-Forum.html

I showed the grown-ups my masterpiece, and I asked them if my drawing scared them. They answered, “Why be scared of a hat?” My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Then I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so the grown-ups could understand. The Little Prince