Editorials Equitable access to scientific and technical information for health Hooman Momen1

Hippocrates equated scientific truth with their journals. These publishers own community. This community, which mystical knowledge which should be copyright to millions of pages of scientific supplies journals with authors, reviewers revealed only to the initiated (1). and technical information of vital interest and editors free of charge is increasingly In current thinking, however, scientific to those working in the health field. dissatisfied with the cost of journal and technical information is seen as an Although they are susceptible to moral subscriptions and the balance of power archetypal global public good which arguments about access to this in the publishing world. It recognizes the should be freely available for the benefit information for those who need it, the value of journals in the authority and of all (2). With traditional printed publishers argue that they have both to quality control they provide, but its publication, the wide dissemination finance their work and to meet obligations continued support cannot be taken for of this information through academic to their investors and members. granted. journals was an expensive undertaking, One of the advantages of electronic The encouragement given by but now the internet and associated publication is that once the information scholars to projects such as the Public technologies have revolutionized the is available for dissemination on the Library of Science (6), the Budapest situation. The opportunities presented internet the costs of access are Open Access Initiative (7) and the Open by these technologies have led to calls for insignificant. This can allow publishers Archives Initiative (8) indicates both greater access to the scientific literature. to provide free access to certain categories widespread support for greater access and Even though electronic publication of readers at no or very little cost to the capacity to provide it. Health is has reduced or eliminated costs associated themselves. It also allows publishers to perhaps the area of most intense demand with the printing, handling and postage adopt a policy of equitable access to the for greater access to scientific and of scholarly journals, other significant journals based on the ability of their technical information, partly because costs remain. These include quality customers to pay. The Health failure to obtain it can be literally fatal. A control (peer review and editing), InterNetwork Access to Research public which pays for most medical production and dissemination (making Initiative (HINARI), involving WHO research through taxes and other public the edited information available on the and many leading publishers (5) uses funds is becoming increasingly puzzled internet), and long-term preservation. such a model. by the barriers that deny access to the A movement called Open Access There are many other ways in results of that research. The time is ripe maintains that these residual costs of which publishers can give greater access for action. The initiatives already begun publishing scientific information should to their information while still earning by publishers are a good sign, but can be borne by the provider, and that access revenue to finance their work. For only be regarded as initial steps. A more to the information should not be limited example, journals can give free access to comprehensive solution, allowing access by the user’s ability to pay. the web version of the journal and for all those who need the information, is In particular, a model proposed by charge for the print version; they can required. Hippocrates would have been BioMed Central based on funding by provide free access to articles and charge delighted to see such an effective means authors or their institutions has become for advertising and access to other of improving expertise and reducing prominent (3). This model may solve the services on their web site; they can give ignorance. O problem of access, at least for those with free access to back issues and only charge the required level of connectivity, but it for the current issue; they can give free 1. Hippocrates. The Canon. In: Hippocratic is not clear if all authors or institutions access to newly-accepted articles and writings. Harmonsworth: Penguin; 1978. can afford to provide free access, charge for access to the edited version. p. 68. especially if they have to pay the full cost Many journals are successfully applying 2. Smith RD, Beaglehole R, Woodward D, of publication. Other models of financing these models of increased access. The Drager N, editors. Global public goods for health: a health economic and public health open access need to be investigated such Bulletin has for some time supported perspective. Oxford: Oxford University as the SciELO Project in Latin America models of open access both by giving Press; 2003. (4), in which funding is mainly by free access to 3. BioMed Central governments through their research the web version of the journal and http://www.biomedcentral.com/ agencies. This comes conceptually closer by participating in the SciELO project. 4. SciELO, The Scientific Electronic Library to the idea of scientific information as a In any case publishers have to Online http://www.scielo.org/ global public good, and open access is respond to calls for greater access to the 5. The Health InterNetwork Access to Research now the dominant form of publishing scientific literature, otherwise more Initiative (HINARI) academic journals in that region. While radical solutions may be favoured, in http://www.healthinternetwork.org/ open access has made impressive progress which their role could be eliminated. 6. The Public Library of Science http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org/ in recent years, the scientific health Proponents of self-archiving of scientific support/openletter.shtml literature is still dominated by information, information portals, 7. Budapest Open Access Initiative commercial publishers and learned deconstructed journals and other radical http://www.soros.org/openaccess/ societies which follow a similar ideas await their chance to win the 8. Open Archives Initiative commercial model for the publication of support of a disenchanted academic http://www.openarchives.org/

1 Editor, Bulletin.

700 Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2003, 81 (10)