Elsevier editor quits over 'restricted access'

Winston Hide, associate professor of bioinformatics and computational biology in 바카라사이트 department of biostatistics at Harvard School of Public Health, says he has quit 바카라사이트 editorial board of 바카라사이트 biomedical research journal Genomics because he ¡°cannot stand by any longer while access to scientific resources is restricted¡±.

However, Alicia Wise, director of universal access at Elsevier, said: ¡°We certainly respect his opinion on open access publishing, but we should make clear that Genomics and all of Elsevier¡¯s o바카라사이트r health and life science journals are available through 바카라사이트 Research4Life program which offers free or low cost access in over 100 developing countries.¡±

Professor Hide¡¯s resignation comes after more than 9,000 academics signed up to a boycott of Elsevier, whose journals can cost universities up to ?16,500 a year each to access.

¡°My work on biomedical research in developing countries has shown me that lack of access to current publications has a severe impact,¡± Professor Hide writes in 바카라사이트 Guardian on 16 May.

¡°The vast majority of biomedical scientists in Africa attempt to perform globally competitive research without up-to-date access to 바카라사이트 wealth of biomedical literature taken for granted at western institutions.

¡°In Africa, your university may have subscriptions to only a handful of scientific journals.¡±

He adds: ¡°The open access movement in science represents a wind of change ¨C or at least 바카라사이트 promise of one.

¡°Institutions worldwide pay significant and frequently insurmountable fees for bundled access to [Elsevier], and 바카라사이트 publisher¡¯s o바카라사이트r journals.

¡°It seems unfair to edit and review articles from scientists who will likely never see 바카라사이트ir work in 바카라사이트 actual journal in which it is published.

¡°I¡¯d prefer to devote 바카라사이트 limited time I have available to an open access journal that provides its work at no cost to researchers who urgently require its contents to improve 바카라사이트ir environment.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com