Annex 2
STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL (STM) PUBLISHERS (5 NOVEMBER
2003)
"Scientific research has never been more
accessible than it is today. In recent years, STM publishers have
been working closely with scientists, researchers, and librarians
to lead the ongoing revolution in the dissemination of scholarly
information. We have leveraged emerging technologies and invested
hundreds of millions of dollars to make more scientific research
information more accessible to more people than ever before. In
the process, we have developedand continue to developinnovative
and accessible business models to broaden information access.
Recent developments such as flexible subscription licensing arrangements
customised to meet the needs of libraries and consortia; `pay-per-view'
article access at prices within reach of non-subscribing individuals;
and implementation of standards such as cross-linking protocols
(such as CrossRef) and enabling technologies (such as the digital
object identifier) have made seamless navigation and discovery
possible across a growing web of published resources. The HINARI
and AGORA initiatives are examples of how publishers are bringing
current research information within the reach of those who need
it in low-income nations worldwide."
"Scientific disciplines differ in their
scholarly communication practices. Journals differ from one another
in their editorial content, features, sales models, and how they
serve the needs of their specific research communities. STM applauds
the multiple journal business models that have successfully emerged
to serve the needs of authors and customers by ensuring the wide
and continuous dissemination of consistently high-quality, independently
validated research. We welcome additional publishers to our markets.
As publishers of science, we naturally look forward to any new
experiments in our field."
"Abandoning the diversity of proven publishing
models in favour of a single, untested model could have disastrous
consequences for the scientific research community. It could seriously
jeopardise the flow of information today, as well as continuity
of the archival record of scientific progress that is so important
to our society tomorrow."
"It is the competitive and well-functioning
market, and not governments, that must choose which business models
and which publishers are best equipped to stay apace of the ever-increasing
demand for information exchange."
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