The Journal of Cell Biology

JCB

Ira Mellman http://www.jcb.org/cgi/doi/10.1083/jcb.200403076 The Journal ofCellBiology © Editor-in-Chief, TheJournalofCellBiology Providing realistic access restricted accessallowsthe publication. Thisbriefperiod of all ofourcontentfree6months after free, basedonourpolicyofmaking problems andunderstanding. JCB posting oftheentirecontent We aredelightedtoannouncetheonline JCB largely published in the pages of the largely publishedinthepagesof a distinctdiscipline,papersthatwere for thedevelopmentofcellbiologyas be—with theactualpapersresponsible or reacquaintedasthecasemay the opportunitytobecomeacquainted— established investigatorsalikewilltake may finditselfinthefuture. even aguidetowherethisgreatfield a historyofthisevolutionandperhaps scientists. Theonlinearchiveisboth of aninternationalcommunity ing investigatorstotheenormousefforts being drivenearlyonbyafewpioneer- strates howthefieldprogressedfrom and biomedicalscience.Italsodemon- body ofknowledgeinallbiology grew fromacuriositytothemostcentral an unparalleledhistoryofhowourfield of thefinestworkincellbiology,and world atlarge.Itrepresentsgenerations scientific community,andindeedtothe PubMed, isafreeresourceforthe searchable andseamlesslylinkedto abstracts andPDFs,whichisfull-text published in1955.Thisarchiveof contributions inthe the relationshipofmanyhistorical mission aseriesofarticlestohighlight In thecomingyears,wehopetocom- today asthefirstdaywepublishedit. the archivethatisstillasvalidandfresh an amazingamountofinformationin

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Volume 165, Number 1,April 12,200419–20 JCB tocurrent tocharge /2004/04/19/2 $8.00 eligible forcompletelyfreeaccesstoall also recentlyexpandedthelistofcountries group bearsanundueburden.Wehave authors andreaderssothatnosingle editingbetween ing, reviewing,and spread theunavoidablecostsofpublish- reasonable subscriptionfeesandthus JCB us toprovidetheseandmany other rupress/disconline.html). 13 countries(http://www.rockefeller.edu/ discount tocolleaguesinanadditional addition, the similar initiativesatotherjournals.In as manycountriesarecoveredby rupress/freeaccess.html) includestwice tries (seehttp://www.rockefeller.edu/ Press content.Thisgroupof142coun- Charging subscriptionshasenabled andotherRockefellerUniversity JCB isavailableataheavy high quality product for which libraries high qualityproductforwhich libraries high costoperations,producing a (such asthe fee). Incontrast,selectivejournals via pagecharges(akatheopenaccess means thatmostpapersyieldrevenue reviewing), andahighacceptancerate operating costsarelow(basedoncursory sense forarchivaljournalsbecause We believethatopenaccessmakes which authorspayallcostsupfront. and notforprofit. scientists asaservicetothecommunity, which arepublishedforandbyactive prudent forjournalssuchasthe as theonlyonethatissoundand We continuetoseethisfinancialmodel services tothecellbiologycommunity. The alternativeisopenaccess,in JCB ) areofnecessity JCB , 19 ©The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com.

20 The Journal of Cell Biology | Volume 165, Number 1, 2004 should be and are willing to pay a journals prioritize and streamline infor- journals, the first step would be for all subscription. Such journals draw more mation for busy readers, and provide a funding agencies to commit significant readers because of the time and money hierarchy—admittedly imperfect—for amounts of money to pay for the actual put into selecting papers, often appointments, promotions, and grant publishing costs (at least $8,000 per improving the science based on high review. Even as we love to hate them, the paper), with the condition that this quality peer review and editing, and selective journals provide an invaluable money could not be spent on anything adding reviews and news. Applying service in communicating what is going else. Although this may seem conceivable an /page charge model to on in science. This is made abundantly in the United States, it becomes much these journals does not yield much clear by our newly constructed archive, more difficult to imagine how to income, because few of the submitted whose production was made possible by institute such an approach worldwide papers are published. the efforts of Rob O’Donnell and his or with private foundations whose It is difficult to see how the most team at the JCB office. research funds are often limited. The prominent open access selective journal As a non-profit publication, the approach is also inherently elitist, with (Public Library of Science [PLoS]) will JCB has tried to lead the way in respon- only the well-funded being able to be financially viable in the long run sible publishing that best serves the afford publication. without support from grants or other community. The decision to release our The scientific community must ventures. This may be an acceptable content for free after six months has decide how it wants to spend its limited model for PLoS, but it clearly cannot not affected our revenues. We believe money and how to most efficiently sustain the entire field. At the JCB, this model would also be perfectly viable and effectively validate and distribute which runs a comparatively modest for the for-profit, top tier journals that the products of its research. But those operation (only two senior, in-house currently have little or no free content. decisions must be based not on wishful editors), it costs $8,000 per published To do so, however, commercial journals thinking, but on a realistic appraisal paper given a 15–20% acceptance rate. would have to accept the principle that of the costs involved in producing (Please note that the $8,000 figure the scientific archive belongs to those journals of high quality and high includes only the cost of producing an who produced and paid for it, and not value. For the moment, the middle article on-line, and excludes any costs to some multinational corporation. As ground occupied by the selective associated with maintaining subscrip- we, the scientific community, provide non-profit journals would appear to tions or printing and mailing hard copy them with their content, their quality be the most reasonable: the free release journals.) The per-article cost at journals control mechanism, and their customers, of all back contact after a 6-month such as , which have even lower we have a right to expect this level delay, and the maintenance of reasonable acceptance rates and more costly pro- of consideration. and flexible online license fees to duction values, appears to be consider- In an ideal world, all archival journals universities, hospitals, and research ably higher than $8,000. The per-article would switch to open access, and institutions. Thus, the overwhelming amount charged for publication in PLoS, researchers would send more of their majority of scientists and students who currently $1,500 per article, would not best work only to the selective journals are positioned to engage in research, appear even to begin to cover the actual that make their content free after no and who have the greatest need for costs of publication. longer than a brief delay. If the scientific immediate access, will get what they Should we simply do away with community decided that they wanted need. And everyone else will get it selective journals? We think not. Selective to extend open access even to selective shortly thereafter.