Re: First Monday article on OA

[David Groenewegen <david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au>]

It's an interesting take on the issue, but I'd have to argue with at least
one of the assumptions that underpins many of the conclusions:

"In a world of electronic networks, however, peer review can and should
take place after publication. Such review can take place virtually in real
time, so our patient remains safe; and the marginal cost of such
publication (which essentially amounts to uploading the text to a Web
server) approaches zero. Post�publication peer review does not require
expensive and slow�moving infrastructure. It therefore assists authors in
their goal of getting published quickly and potentially provides wider
feedback from the broad community of scholars. Quackery that gets
published will be recognized as such and dismissed rapidly."

This assumes that everybody reads the online version in real time - but we
know that most users, even technically skilled ones, prefer to print what
they read, especially longer and more complicated material. I know that if
someone sends me an interesting link I generally go to the site, read the
abstract, and if it sounds interesting print it for later reading and
reference.

If I printed it before someone else notes the fatal error (and the fatal
error to a patient could be well hidden), then I might inflict the fatal
error on the patient because there is a good chance that I will never
return to the online version to check for updates.

This would imply that some peer review still needs to come before
publication, at least in some areas - which means you would still need
some of the expensive infrastructure. To suggest otherwise is to have to
much faith in the efficiency of the community.

David Groenewegen
Digital Resources Librarian
Information Resources Division
Monash University Library
AUSTRALIA
email: david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au

"Sloan, Bernie" wrote:
> 
> I don't recall anyone on the list mentioning this (but it wouldn't be the
> first time I'd missed something):
> 
> Esposito, Joseph J. The devil you don't know: The unexpected future of
> Open Access publishing. First Monday, 9(8). August 2004.
> http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_8/esposito/
> 
> Bernie Sloan
> Senior Library Information Systems Consultant, ILCSO
> E-mail: bernies@uillinois.edu