The Open Acce initiative in cientific and biomedical publihing: Fourth in the erie on editorhip

Purpoe To provide baic information about the Open Acce concept and it hitorical development, define the benefit and challenge inherent in thi new model, and identify the value of the traditional print model and it movement toward more open acce. Deign Review of current information on the ubject from numerou ource. Method Medline earch and Internet earch engine on the topic of Open Acce Publihing. Reult The Open Acce initiative derive from everal premie: medical librarie can no longer afford journal ubcription; ociety benefit from the open exchange of idea; ociety ha in large part already paid for thi reearch; the Internet provide an available venue. The traditional journal publiher model, however, ha functioned well over many year with a robut peer review ytem and increaing Internet digital component permitting earch and cro referencing, including element of the Open Acce model. Concluion It will be difficult to maintain the cot of both the traditional journal ytem and the fully implemented Open Acce model. Any deciion that are made mut enure that the archive of prior medical knowledge i not lot, that financial barrier do not retrict publication, and that reearch continue to be available to thoe who need it, in the media that they prefer.