RE: Funding threshold (RE: LA Times editorial on accessing NIH research)

["Martin Frank" <MFrank@The-APS.org>]

Rick,

According to NIH, their Public Access Policy applies "to 
peer-reviewed, original research publications that have been 
supported in whole or in part with direct costs from NIH."  The 
legislation does not change the requirement.  The policy applies 
whether or not the author is presently funded by NIH, meaning 
that an individual with a terminated grant who is writing up 
their work to try and get funded will be subject to the policy. 
Similarly, an individual supported by a Foundation or 
pharmaceutical company, but using a piece of equipment purchased 
on an NIH grant will also be subject to the policy because the 
equipment would be considered under the "in part" provision of 
the policy.

It is nice to see Congress encouraging NIH to expend scare 
dollars to duplicate what many publishers are already doing, 
making their content freely available within 12 months of 
publication.  Congress could advance science if the funds were 
actually being used for research.  The argument that the cost is 
only a couple of million dollars is immaterial when the 
expenditure is unnecessary and one is dying of a disease that 
could be cured by using the dollars for research.

Making 10% of the literature (which is all that is supported by 
NIH) available through PubMed Central will do absolutely nothing 
to advance the science of discovery!  Most investigators 
worldwide already get access to the literature without the 
expenditure of millions by NIH. Additionally, one of the 
justifications for the program has been the desire for Congress 
to provide the US taxpayers with access to the research funded 
with their tax dollars.  If that is the case, who cares if 
"opening up access to NIH-funded studies will increase their 
impact on researchers around the world."

Martin Frank, Ph.D.
Executive Director, American Physiological Society
E-mail: mfrank@the-aps.org
APS Home Page: www.the-aps.org
... Integrating the Life Sciences From Molecule to Organism


-----Original Message-----
[mailto:owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Rick Anderson
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 12:48 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: Funding threshold (RE: LA Times editorial on accessing NIH
research)

Does the latest legislative proposal specify what level of
funding would trigger the OA requirement?  Would it only apply in
situations where the research was 100% funded by the NIH, or
would it apply to research publications funded by that body at
something less than 100%?  And if so, what is the threshold
funding level?

Rick Anderson
Dir. of Resource Acquisition
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
rickand@unr.edu