Providing Realistic Access Restricted Accessallowsthe Publication

JCBEditorial Providing realistic access Ira Mellman Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Cell Biology We are delighted to announce the online posting of the entire content of the JCB back to volume 1, issue 1, first published in 1955. This archive of abstracts and PDFs, which is full-text searchable and seamlessly linked to PubMed, is a free resource for the scientific community, and indeed to the world at large. It represents generations of the finest work in cell biology, and an unparalleled history of how our field grew from a curiosity to the most central body of knowledge in all of biology and biomedical science. It also demon- strates how the field progressed from being driven early on by a few pioneer- ing investigators to the enormous efforts of an international community of scientists. The online archive is both a history of this evolution and perhaps even a guide to where this great field ©The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. may find itself in the future. We hope that younger scientists and established investigators alike will take the opportunity to become acquainted— The Journal of Cell Biology or reacquainted as the case may reasonable subscription fees and thus services to the cell biology community. be—with the actual papers responsible spread the unavoidable costs of publish- We continue to see this financial model for the development of cell biology as ing, reviewing, and editing between as the only one that is sound and a distinct discipline, papers that were authors and readers so that no single prudent for journals such as the JCB, largely published in the pages of the group bears an undue burden. We have which are published for and by active JCB over the past five decades. There is also recently expanded the list of countries scientists as a service to the community, an amazing amount of information in eligible for completely free access to all and not for profit. the archive that is still as valid and fresh JCB and other Rockefeller University The alternative is open access, in today as the first day we published it. Press content. This group of 142 coun- which authors pay all costs upfront. In the coming years, we hope to com- tries (see http://www.rockefeller.edu/ We believe that open access makes mission a series of articles to highlight rupress/freeaccess.html) includes twice sense for archival journals because the relationship of many historical as many countries as are covered by operating costs are low (based on cursory contributions in the JCB to current similar initiatives at other journals. In reviewing), and a high acceptance rate problems and understanding. addition, the JCB is available at a heavy means that most papers yield revenue All of the older content is available discount to colleagues in an additional via page charges (aka the open access free, based on our policy of making 13 countries (http://www.rockefeller.edu/ fee). In contrast, selective journals all of our content free 6 months after rupress/disconline.html). (such as the JCB) are of necessity publication. This brief period of Charging subscriptions has enabled high cost operations, producing a restricted access allows the JCB to charge us to provide these and many other high quality product for which libraries © The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525/2004/04/19/2 $8.00 The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 165, Number 1, April 12, 2004 19–20 http://www.jcb.org/cgi/doi/10.1083/jcb.200403076 19 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 $8,000 per improving the science based on high review. Even as we love to hate them, the paper), with the condition that this quality peer review and editing, and selective journals provide an invaluable money could not be spent on anything adding reviews and news. Applying service in communicating what is going else. Although this may seem conceivable an open access/page charge model to on in science. This is made abundantly in the United States, it becomes much these journals does not yield much clear by our newly constructed archive, more difficult to imagine how to income, because few of the submitted whose production was made possible by institute such an approach worldwide papers are published. the efforts of Rob O’Donnell and his or with private foundations whose It is difficult to see how the most team at the JCB office. research funds are often limited. The prominent open access selective journal As a non-profit publication, the approach is also inherently elitist, with (Public Library of Science [PLoS]) will JCB has tried to lead the way in respon- only the well-funded being able to be financially viable in the long run sible publishing that best serves the afford publication. without support from grants or other community. The decision to release our The scientific community must ventures. This may be an acceptable content for free after six months has decide how it wants to spend its limited model for PLoS, but it clearly cannot not affected our revenues. We believe money and how to most efficiently sustain the entire field. At the JCB, this model would also be perfectly viable and effectively validate and distribute which runs a comparatively modest for the for-profit, top tier journals that the products of its research. But those operation (only two senior, in-house currently have little or no free content. decisions must be based not on wishful per published To do so, however, commercial journals thinking, but on a realistic appraisal 8,000$ف editors), it costs 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 Nature, 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..

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