Pubmed Central: the Genbank of the Published Literature
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Editorial PubMed Central: The GenBank of the published literature Richard J. Roberts New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA 01915 n 1999, Harold Varmus, then Director and will allow new approaches to search- signed on to, the initiative proposed by Pat Iof the National Institutes of Health, ing the literature. No longer will we need Brown of Stanford University. He was one proposed a bold new initiative called to spend hours searching among the stacks of the chief proponents of PMC and is now PubMed Central (PMC) designed to pro- of the local, or not so local, library to find circulating an open letter from scientists vide a central repository for literature in articles essential for our research. Scien- urging journals to participate. The letter is the life sciences [see Marshall, E. (1999) tists, physicians, teachers, and lay people currently posted at www.publiclibraryof- Science 284, 718]. Following an initial who are currently disenfranchised from science.org. Signatories show their sup- period of confusion, PMC now exists. It the world’s literature because of minimal port for open access and pledge to publish has a clear mission, a stable home, and a research budgets will have access, perhaps in, edit or review for, and personally sub- nucleus of papers. Its mission is to provide not to the very latest research, but at least scribe to only those journals that grant a comprehensive electronic archive of the to reasonably current research. Our col- unrestricted distribution rights within 6 peer-reviewed literature relevant to the leagues in the developing world and many months of publication to PMC and similar biological sciences. Its home is the Na- of the smaller research institutions will entities. As word of this initiative spreads, tional Center for Biotechnology Informa- have unprecedented access to the scien- many of us hope that thousands of scien- tion (NCBI), whose director is David Lip- tific literature. tists, both senior and junior, will sign on. man. NCBI is also home to GenBank, the To populate PMC, all life science jour- public archive of DNA sequences. The nals are being asked to provide their con- Even more important, we hope that many publications already present in PMC and tents free of charge following a suitable journals, especially the more prestigious freely accessible to the world’s scientific delay beyond the date of print publication. ones, will join PNAS, NAR, BMJ, and community include all articles published In the case of PNAS, the delay is 1 month; others in agreeing to make their content in PNAS that are more than 1 month old for other journals it may be longer. This freely available no later than 6 months EDITORIAL and that were in a suitable electronic delay is to mitigate any deleterious effect after publication. format, as well as articles from a number on subscriptions and the financial health This initiative is very much a grassroots of other journals such as Molecular Biology of the journals that might result from free affair. All scientists from students to pro- of the Cell, Arthritis Research, and Breast access. For instance, if a journal were to fessors are being asked to join. It is an Cancer Research. Several other journals, make its content immediately available to initiative that, if successful now, will pro- including The British Medical Journal PMC, there would be a real danger that vide a vital resource to students and their (BMJ) and Nucleic Acids Research (NAR), subscriptions to the print or online copy of professors alike during the coming years. the journal would drop precipitously as are committed to join. A full list is avail- Why might a journal not join something libraries become increasingly pressed to able at www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov. that is so obviously good for science? find funds for journals. What is a reason- PMC will contain only articles from the Some publishers argue that they will lose peer-reviewed literature and is not in- able delay? I would argue that 6 months seems a reasonable time for a journal to revenues from subscriptions. This is hard tended to be the sole repository or dis- to take seriously, when many journals tributor of the publications that it hosts. In monopolize the content. Most of us would not dream of scanning the contents of a make their dated content freely available fact, journals are encouraged to distribute on their own web site and some even offer their material as widely as possible, journal published 6 months ago unless we were searching for a specific article. Thus prepublication copy. I suspect that many through their own web sites or online publishers and their senior editorial staff distributors. Furthermore, publishers do it seems unlikely that a large number of subscriptions would be lost if 6-month-old are fearful of losing control and jeopar- not need to relinquish their normal copy- dizing favorite programs that they view as right provisions for the further commer- issues were made freely available. I think rather few worthwhile journals would be benefiting science and that are presently cial use of the material. The great value adversely affected if they were to institute supported from journal profits. However, that PMC brings to the scientific commu- such a policy. I thus welcome, and have when I ask students, they seem over- nity is the opportunity to search not just titles and abstracts but entire papers for interesting content. Just as GenBank has proved invaluable to molecular biologists, This is an invited editorial by Richard J. Roberts. Dr. Roberts is a distinguished scientist who received the Nobel Prize for PMC could serve an equally important Medicine in 1993 for his part in the discovery of split genes. He also has been a leader in developing new ways to disseminate role within the broader biological commu- scientific information, the subject of this editorial. Dr. Roberts participated in the establishment of GenBank, has been involved with many journals, is now an executive editor of Nucleic Acids Research, and is a member of the PubMed Central nity. Once a central repository and archive Advisory Board. We present this editorial as a reasoned statement on a topic of great current interest. Any conclusions or for the world’s biological literature be- opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views of the National Academy of Sciences. comes populated it will have a far- –Nicholas R. Cozzarelli, Editor-in-Chief reaching impact on the conduct of scien- Article published online before print: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073͞pnas.041601398. tific research. It will improve productivity Article and publication date are at www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.041601398 PNAS ͉ January 16, 2001 ͉ vol. 98 ͉ no. 2 ͉ 381–382 Downloaded by guest on September 26, 2021 whelmingly in favor of PMC. Indeed, as a Society for Microbiology (ASM), the versity and institutional presses to take a practicing scientist how can one reason- American Society for Biochemistry and hard look at their priorities and ask ably be against it? It will save much time Molecular Biology (ASBMB), the Amer- whether they support science or Mam- and make invaluable resources uniformly ican Association for the Advancement of mon. I also urge the large commercial available. It is good for everybody. Both Science (AAAS), etc., not followed the publishers to join PMC. They cannot claim GenBank and PubMed, also run from lead of the National Academy of Sciences to be serving the best interests of their NCBI, have been immensely successful and rushed to join PMC? At the very least, customers by trying to balkanize the pub- and have driven science forward. PMC is the societies should poll their members to lished literature. Imagine how stymied we the next step. gauge their enthusiasm for PMC. Could it would all be without GenBank. Most of One might have thought that the scien- be that the societies have become seduced all, though, I urge our young scientists to tific societies would have been at the fore- by the cash that their journals produce, think hard and carefully about this issue. front to promote the interests of their and the professional interests of the sci- Your future is at stake. Here is your members and to promulgate science by all entists they represent are taking second chance to make your voice heard and means possible. So why have the major life place? I would urge all scientific societies indicate your priorities in the scientific science societies, such as the American- and academic publishers such as the uni- enterprise. Join me and sign on! 382 ͉ www.pnas.org Roberts Downloaded by guest on September 26, 2021.