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PLoS Launches Open Access Biology Journal

Posted by michael on from the if-it-squirms-it's-biology dept.

Vojtek writes "An international grass-roots organization of scientists is lauching an open access journal, PLoS Biology, that will compete with existing publications. See PLoS.org for details. Read their FAQ, download and post their Poster, support their cause!" We've done several previous stories about these guys - this one is pretty thorough.

2 of 17 comments (clear)

  1. seems like a good idea by izy_t · · Score: 0, Troll

    Aren't open journals best kept to the internet? Where they can be easily edited and veiwed by all in real time?

    It's a good idea though

    "Trying is the first step towards failure" - Homer Simpson

  2. It's gonna cost you! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I really feel sorry for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation who have been roped into funding this effort. At the moment the money is being used to fund the salaries of the staff - who having been lured from Cell, Nature et al. are probably being paid a pretty penny. $9 million is probably seems like quite a lot of money - and there is additional in-kind support from Howard Hughes, but believe me these guys are burn through this cash in a very quick time. The track record of thr PLoS: A free journal repository - which failed. A campaign to boycott peer review - which failed Hardly inspires confidence in their ability to make this one a winner. Another free at source journal with virtual the same aims - The Journal of Biology - has thus far attracted about three papers in six months (and one of them came from the journal's editor in chief). They also have failed to attract one advertiser. It is going to very difficult to make this work financially. What happens when Gordon and Betty's money runs out - you can bet that PLoS will be back cap in hand to them pretty damn quick. Yes, it's good to see new products coming along and attempting to shake up the status quo - but I question whether charitable money should be punted on what is essentialy a very high risk start up company. They would have been better to put their money directly into medical research. I dunno why Biologists need to go for these high cost projects with highly paid editors and complex revenue models. As many have pointed out in the past, many physicists have made do with basic document servers which have ensured free distribution of papers and data for years, and very successfully they have been too.