Notes by Christina Pikas
What it's like to launch an open access journal (she was at PLOS).
PLOS uses Berlin definition of Open Access -- not only to read, but to reuse content.
Why open access?
- matches the needs to the researchers as readers and authors
- matches the goals of the funders of the research
- best meets the publishing mandate to widely and rapidly disseminate information
Starting vs. Transitioning to OA
developing reputation vs. established reputation
building submissions, readership, usage (same as with any new journal) vs. established
no legacy data concerns vs. legacy data
can set expectations vs. legacy economics
Additional challenges at PLOS
Building an organization
Possible because of...
- philanthropy
- credibility within scientific community
- support from scientific and library communities
To build submissions...
- Kept an updated list of authors who had papers accepted
- Impact factor!
How to do you fund...
- philanthropy
- author charges
- memberships
- advertising
- commercial reprints
- a la BMJ - value-added material subscribers only, research open access
- print supports online
Costs to publishing
- copy editing
- figure manipulation
- professional editors
- front section
- fee waivers
How do you build an open access world?
- have open access options for traditional journals (like the PNAS model)
- front section subscription only (BMJ)
- put open access in researchers evaluation model
- put aside the money in the funding so that it can't be spent elsewhere.
- reduce the costs of publication (print on demand, more control and responsibility to authors for copy editing and figure manipulation, better open source publication management software)
daser2005
Updated: 12/5 to add tag and picture, signature