Open-and-Shut Case: Do Open-Access Journals Enhance Scientific Progress?
If I have seen further," claimed Isaac Newton, "it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." The key to comprehending such amazing vistas by all researchers is science's incrementalist tradition of building phenomenon-explaining grand theories finding by finding as facts accumulate across decades of previous research. In the past dozen years or so scientists have increasingly turned toward "open access" (OA) publication, where full-text articles, research results or complete journal issues are freely available online, rather than accessible only to subscribers who pay for a subscription, as a way to make these metaphorical giants' shoulders more widely accessible.Historically, journals were mainly subscriber-supported, but high fees have made subscriptions prohibitive to many universities (let alone individuals) in the U.S. and abroad. In the past decade a new model has emerged. Some journals are now free to all, but the authors who publish their research in the volumes must pay a...
