FWD: Access to Publicly Financed Scientific Research to Expand

[janet paterson <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

hi all

my thanks to linda herman for forwarding this

it is great news
and reflects a trend supported
by the british medical journal organisation
where all articles are available on the internet
in the abstract format as well as in the full text format

knowledge = power = people

janet

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Legislation to Expand Access to Publicly Financed Research Findings

The (U.S.) Public Library of Science on June 26 is expected to announce
legislation that would make federally funded scientific research available
to the public, bypassing the current system of access to journals through
paid subscriptions, the New York Times reports.  The legislation, called
the "Public Access to Science Act" and introduced by Rep. Martin Olav Sabo
(D-Minn.), would place the results of research primarily funded by the
federal government into the public domain, meaning that access could not be
prohibited by copyright law, according to Dr. Michael Eisen, a co-founder
of the library, whose members include doctors, scientists and researchers.

The measure will also call on federal agencies to improve access to their
research results.  Sabo, noting that the public pays about $45 billion
annually through taxes to finance the research, said, "It defies logic to
collectively pay for our medical research, only to privatize its
profitability and availability" (Leary, New York Times, 6/26). The movement
to expand access to research studies has "struggled to gain traction"
because scientists are "reluctant to abandon the prestige journals," in
which publication is "integral to tenure and promotion decisions,"
according to the Wall Street Journal (Begley, Wall Street Journal, 6/26). "

The Public Library of Science:


Kaisernetwork.org:

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janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit primarily perky, parky
pd: 56-41-37 cd: 56-44-43 tel: 613-256-8340 email: janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx
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