Re: New open access journal set to challenge Nature, Science andCell

[David Goodman <dgoodman@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>]

In many respects BioMedCentral's new "Journal of Biology" is a worthy
endeavor--there is certainly every reason to expect that it will be an
excellent journal, and its plans to be electronically permanently
available free of charge are very highly commendable. Some specific
aspects may prove very useful, such as the accompanying commentary, and
expedited publication is always good.

I cannot predict whether there is room for a fourth biological journal of
that quality. The number of truly first rate articles available for
publication depends on the number written, which depends on the number of
first-rate scientists. There is nothing that any editor, publisher, or
library can do which will increase that number, and articles of that
caliber do not lack existing journals that will publish them.

Unfortunately, the explicit aim of the publication, "to challenge Nature,
Science and Cell" is somewhat absurd. These three journals are not the
problem. Though institutional subscriptions to them are fairly expensive,
the cost per use is not. Any academic library could easily afford them, if
it did not also have to buy (or think that it had to buy) the large number
of second and third rate journals sold at similar or even higher prices.

If SPARC could find a way to eliminate the poor journals, rather than
compete against the best ones (commercial or non-commercial), that would
be a truly valuable service of the greatest value. Now, I cannot figure
out a way either, but I continue to hope that the combination of expertise
and institutional backing found in SPARC might succeed.

As a side note, I call attention to the apparent naivete of the last
paragraph of the announcement:

> The first print issues of Journal of Biology will be sent to 80,000
> biological scientists free of charge, giving it the highest circulation
> to life science professionals of any research journal, including Nature,
> Science and Cell.

Free distribution is not circulation, as I am sure the publishers of the
journals mentioned will soon point out. Any journal could easily acquire a
yet higher distribution: just send out even more free copies.

Dr. David Goodman
Research Librarian and
Biological Sciences Bibliographer
Princeton University Library
dgoodman@princeton.edu            609-258-7785

On Fri, 17 May 2002, Gordon Fletcher wrote:

> Press Release: 17 May 2001
> For Immediate Release
> Contact: Gordon Fletcher
> Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 0323
> E-mail: gordon@biomedcentral.com
>
> New Journal Launch
> Title: Journal of Biology
> Editor in Chief: Martin Raff
> Website: http://www.jbiol.com
> Publisher: BioMed Central
> Format: online and print
>
> =================================================
>
> New open access journal set to challenge Nature, Science and Cell
>
> =================================================
>
> Journal of Biology (http://www.jbiol.com) is a new international journal,
> published by BioMed Central, which provides immediate open access to
> research articles of exceptional interest. It will only publish research
> articles of the highest standard, similar to those published by Nature,
> Science or Cell. While these journals restrict access to only those who
> pay for a subscription, all research articles published in Journal of
> Biology will be permanently available free of charge and without
> restrictions, ensuring the widest possible dissemination of the work.
>
> Free access to exceptional biological research is important, because each
> exceptional paper can have an enormous impact on research in a particular
> field. A move towards free and unrestricted access to such articles will
> improve both the pace of research and the ability of society at large to
> access and benefit from the results. Many scientists, academics and
> librarians vocally support a range of initiatives that actively campaign
> for fairer systems of scholarly communication, such as the Public Library
> of Science (http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org/), SPARC
> (http://www.arl.org/sparc/) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative
> (http://www.soros.org/openaccess/).

[SNIP]

> The system of peer review for the articles is specifically designed to be
> fast, rigorous and fair. Accepted articles will be published online within
> two weeks.
>
> The first print issues of Journal of Biology will be sent to 80,000
> biological scientists free of charge, giving it the highest circulation to
> life science professionals of any research journal, including Nature,
> Science and Cell. The first issue of Journal of Biology is expected in
> June 2002.
>
> For further information visit the website
> http://www.jbiol.com or contact Gordon Fletcher
> (gordon@biomedcentral.com)