Is electronic publishing being used in the best interests of science

1
Is electronic publishing being used in the best
interests of science?

• R. Stephen Berry
• The University of Chicago

2
What are best interests?What science?

• Second question first Distinguish
• Science supported by public ( not-for profit)
  funds, and
• Science supported by private, for-profit funds
• We concentrate on the first the second is much
  easier.

3
Why use public funds to support scientific
research?

• Because the results of that research yield public
  goods.
• Public goods are those whose value does not
  diminish with use. Scientific results are special
  (but not necessarily unique)
• Their value increases with their use.

4
How are those public goods captured?

• Only by distribution and use of the results of
  the research.
• Implications the wider the distribution, the
  greater the value is likely to be.
• Inhibition of the distribution of the results
  acts against the interests and intent of the
  agency and government that supported the research.

5
What, now, are the best interests of science?

• Whatever
• A) sustains the scientific enterprise by
  justifying its support externally, and
• B) maintains and fosters the internal
  characteristics of the best science creativity,
  flexibility, self-criticality, sustainability,
  perspective.

6
What does the first imply?

• The results of research must be available to
  other researchers, the more widely distributed,
  the better.
• If, by adding value without inhibiting the
  distribution of the information, private
  publishers can perform this distribution, so be
  it.

7
What motivates publishers?

• Distinguish commercial publishers from
  professional societies.
• The latter have (or should have) the furtherance
  of the members science as their primary
  motivation, and profit as a secondary motive, for
  achieving their main goal.
• The commercial publishers have these reversed,
  quite properly.

8
Whats new? The process of adapting to
e-publishing!

• But also, adapting to the now-chronic pinch on
  funds available for research and the distribution
  of its results.
• E-publishing offers a low-cost, efficient
  alternative to p-publishing, especially if we
  give up conventional reviewing and editing.

9
So what are we to do?

• Keep the principal journals in whatever
  combination of print and electronic forms best
  satisfies each particular audience. If the
  commercial publishers can continue to produce
  journals competitive with professional societies
  publications, fine, they should do so.

10
But keep in mind the two different motivations!

• Professional societies must keep the journals
  functioning to keep their science alive.
• Commercial publishers want to keep science alive
  in order to keep their journals functioning and
  profitable.
• But if the profits vanish, commercial publishers
  have no further stake the professional societies
  still do.

11
And so...

• There is no natural right for commercial
  publishers to make profit from scientific
  publishing. If there is a profitable market
  available, then they should be in it, but if the
  natural market is not suitable, then they should
  get out! This is fast becoming ( may now be)
  the case with small-circulation, specialized
  journals.

12
What happens to those small scientific
communities?

• The small-circulation, specialized journal,
  serving a community of people known to one
  another, is the ideal niche for the electronic
  journal with minimal editorial and reviewing
  services. C.f. the virtual journals being
  created by the A.P.S.

13
What about those main-line journals?

• Different styles for different communities
• A period of adjustment, experiment and
  adaptation, perhaps a decade or more
• TRY ALL THE POSSIBILITIES THAT LOOK PROMISING!
  Let them compete.

14
Implying for the environment,...

• Any legislation or regulation applying to
  distribution of scientific information must be
  permissive and not prohibitory.
• The former will be in the best interests of
  science and the communities it serves, but the
  latter, very much in opposition to those
  interests.

15
Expand on that An example

• Removal of fair use for e-print journals should
  represent the maximum protection afforded by law,
  so any journal that wants to allow fair use of
  its publications may do so.
• Then let those permitting fair use compete with
  those prohibiting it, and see who survives in a
  fair, competitive market!

16
We should experiment

• With open refereeing,
• With wider use of e-print archives,
• With various channels of paying publication
  costs,
• With trying to understand the differences among
  scientific fields regarding publication
• And, of course, we must evaluate the results of
  the experiments!

17
And, by the way, who pays?

• For government-supported research, the ultimate
  responsibility lies with the funder, and it
  frequently comes to that.
• But it may take many forms, from payment of page
  charges to overhead to support library
  subscriptions.

18
Author charges have a problem, especially in U.S.

• Some nations prohibit payment of page or
  submission charges
• Because of the high proportion of non-U.S.
  authors publishing in U.S. journals, author
  charges dont work.
• Could international agreements to make these
  payments possible? What can the U.S. offer in
  return? Or threaten?

19
And, in summary, 5 rules

• 1. Stay flexible
• 2. Stay adaptable
• 3. Experiment, push the envelope of
  possibilities
• 4. Dont let others lock us in
• 5. As in Rabelais Abbey of Thélemé, Do as thou
  wilt!