US institute announces initiative to put all its research on the web
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is taking a major step to provide free, public access to peer reviewed scientific publications.
The new policy, announced by the NIH director, Dr Elias Zerhouni, asks investigators publishing NIH funded research to submit their manuscripts to the National Library of Medicine抯 (NLM) PubMed Central for electronic transmission as soon as possible after acceptance and in any event within 12 months of publication. Compliance is voluntary and there are no penalties if investigators fail to comply. "We believe they will ," Dr Zerhouni said.
A system is being set up by the NLM to receive manuscripts after 2 May. It requests that authors submit the final, peer reviewed manuscript to the NLM when it is accepted for publication. The policy applies to peer reviewed, original publication of research that has been supported in whole or in part by NIH.
It covers research grants, career development awards, contracts, national service awards, and intramural research studies, said Dr Norka Ruiz Bravo, deputy director for extramural research at NIH. About 65 000 research articles are published annually, and Dr Zerhouni estimated that the new system would cost between $2m (?.1m; �1.6m) and $4m annually.
Originally, it was proposed that authors should submit their manuscripts within six months of publication. However, the final version extends this to 12 months. The possibility of extending the time frame was criticised by those who wanted immediate access (BMJ 2005;330:165, 22 Jan).
Dr Zerhouni defended the decision, saying that it provided flexibility and ensured maximum participation. Extending the final deadline for submission from six months to asking authors to submit papers within 12 months, "is going from a date certain to a range," he said.
At a press conference announcing the new policy, Dr Zerhouni was questioned about the role that some publishers (those concerned about the possible adverse effect on their subscriptions) may have played in this decision. "We received 6287 comments on the proposal. Our policy was evolved on the basis of these comments. This is appropriate," he said. "Why put out a policy if you抮e not intending to listen to anybody?"
But Dr Zerhouni admitted that the extension "isn抰 going to sit well, either with those that want a stronger requirement or with those that don抰 want any requirement." He continued: "Our goal is to change the landscape of how scientific information is made available to the public, while preserving the viability of the peer review process that guarantees the integrity of our research. That never existed before." It was, he said, "the way of the 21st century."
Over 93 million Americans visit the internet for medical information, and nearly 60% of them take this information to their doctors, says a 2003 survey by the NLM. Currently, research information is largely available only through subscriptions to journals or at academic and hospital libraries. So it is important for NIH to provide public access to the results from publicly funded research, said Dr Zerhouni. "We believe this new policy will fundamentally transform our published medical research results, and be utilised by patients, healthcare providers, and scientists."(Washington, DC Charles Marwick)
The new policy, announced by the NIH director, Dr Elias Zerhouni, asks investigators publishing NIH funded research to submit their manuscripts to the National Library of Medicine抯 (NLM) PubMed Central for electronic transmission as soon as possible after acceptance and in any event within 12 months of publication. Compliance is voluntary and there are no penalties if investigators fail to comply. "We believe they will ," Dr Zerhouni said.
A system is being set up by the NLM to receive manuscripts after 2 May. It requests that authors submit the final, peer reviewed manuscript to the NLM when it is accepted for publication. The policy applies to peer reviewed, original publication of research that has been supported in whole or in part by NIH.
It covers research grants, career development awards, contracts, national service awards, and intramural research studies, said Dr Norka Ruiz Bravo, deputy director for extramural research at NIH. About 65 000 research articles are published annually, and Dr Zerhouni estimated that the new system would cost between $2m (?.1m; �1.6m) and $4m annually.
Originally, it was proposed that authors should submit their manuscripts within six months of publication. However, the final version extends this to 12 months. The possibility of extending the time frame was criticised by those who wanted immediate access (BMJ 2005;330:165, 22 Jan).
Dr Zerhouni defended the decision, saying that it provided flexibility and ensured maximum participation. Extending the final deadline for submission from six months to asking authors to submit papers within 12 months, "is going from a date certain to a range," he said.
At a press conference announcing the new policy, Dr Zerhouni was questioned about the role that some publishers (those concerned about the possible adverse effect on their subscriptions) may have played in this decision. "We received 6287 comments on the proposal. Our policy was evolved on the basis of these comments. This is appropriate," he said. "Why put out a policy if you抮e not intending to listen to anybody?"
But Dr Zerhouni admitted that the extension "isn抰 going to sit well, either with those that want a stronger requirement or with those that don抰 want any requirement." He continued: "Our goal is to change the landscape of how scientific information is made available to the public, while preserving the viability of the peer review process that guarantees the integrity of our research. That never existed before." It was, he said, "the way of the 21st century."
Over 93 million Americans visit the internet for medical information, and nearly 60% of them take this information to their doctors, says a 2003 survey by the NLM. Currently, research information is largely available only through subscriptions to journals or at academic and hospital libraries. So it is important for NIH to provide public access to the results from publicly funded research, said Dr Zerhouni. "We believe this new policy will fundamentally transform our published medical research results, and be utilised by patients, healthcare providers, and scientists."(Washington, DC Charles Marwick)