Re: Two layers of research literature

From: Alan Story <a.c.story_at_UKC.AC.UK>
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 16:27:07 -0000

George and List Members:

An interesting list and indeed some are free.

But certainly not all.The American Journal of Surgical Pathology (AJSP) site
informs us that..."Lippincott Williams & Wilkins is pleased to announce the
addition of full text content to The American Journal of Surgical Pathology
web site. Beginning in September 2000, all of the content printed in the
Journal will also be accessible on this web site.

Full-text content will be provided in both HTML and PDF formats with all
associated images and will be fully searchable and free to all site visitors
though December 2000.

Sounds great! But then there is the big, HOWEVER

"Beginning in January 2001, access to full-text article content will be
restricted to subscribers only. If you do not currently receive AJSP, start
your subscription today at the LWW Online Store."

The subscription rates track the usual rates of many journals, that is, in
the hundreds of dollars.

This journal, at least, is not freeing the academic literature, only
offering a loss leader to bring in the paying punters.

Alan Story

----- Original Message -----
From: "George Lundberg" <George_Lundberg_at_MAIL.MEDSCAPE.COM>
To: <AMERICAN-SCIENTIST-OPEN-ACCESS-FORUM_at_LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG>
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2000 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: Two layers of research literature


> i would like to call the attention of this list serve group to an internet
site
> called www.freemedicaljournals.com
> there you can find a list of a large (and rapidly growing )number of
actually
> free on-line medical journals
> there is a burgeoning feast that should obviate/alleviate a great
deal of
> the famed S Harnad angst about delay/repression/profit/etc
> george lundberg editor in chief Medscape
>
>
>
>
> Jim Till <till_at_UHNRES.UTORONTO.CA> on 10/31/2000 02:55:20 PM
>
> Please respond to September 1998 American Scientist Forum
> <AMERICAN-SCIENTIST-OPEN-ACCESS-FORUM_at_LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG>
>
> To: AMERICAN-SCIENTIST-OPEN-ACCESS-FORUM_at_LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG
> cc: (bcc: George Lundberg/Medscape)
>
> Subject: Two layers of research literature
>
>
>
> On Tue, 31 Oct 2000, J.W.T.Smith wrote [in part, on the Subject:
> Re: Workshop on Open Archives Initiative in Europe]:
>
> > Yes, I still believe there
> > will be subscription services but these services will be paid for their
> > skills in locating and organising relevant information for their
> > subscribers not because they 'own' any of this information.
>
> It seems to me that one needs to bear in mind two major types of research
> literature: 1) the 'primary' literature (original data and/or novel
> conceptual contributions); and, 2) the 'secondary' literature (layered
> over the primary literature, e.g. as editorials, reviews, meta-analyses,
> commentaries, etc.). The 'secondary' literature requires skills in
> locating and organizing relevant information.
>
> I hope that the time will soon come when much of the high-quality
> 'primary' AND 'secondary' literature will be freely available online.
>
> For example, many 'signpost' websites (ones that locate and organize URLs)
> already exist on the web. Some have editorial boards responsible for
> monitoring their contents, and some don't. It seems to me that at least
> some of them could/should be regarded a valuable part of the 'secondary'
> literature. There are also very many that could/should be regarded only
> as 'popular' or even 'vanity' literature, and some that are in the gray
> area in between. Most such 'signpost' websites are currently under a
> cloud of poor prestige and/or lack of recognition (the 'clouded'
> literature!) from the perspective of traditional academia.
>
> It seems obvious to me that, as the research literature is freed from the
> constraints imposed by the traditional printed journals, at least some of
> these 'signpost' websites, designed to locate and organize noteworthy
> online information, will make increasingly important contributions to the
> 'secondary' literature, as well as to the 'popular' literature intended
> for non-academic readers [see also a short invited commentary, at:
> http://www.cancerlynx.com/internet_contributions.html].
>
> Jim Till
> University of Toronto
>
Received on Mon Jan 24 2000 - 19:17:43 GMT

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