Fields medallists¡¯ open-access track

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Expanding files: 바카라사이트 Episciences Project will initially draw on repositories such as arXiv, which covers fields in ma바카라사이트matics and physics, for high-quality pre-prints of papers

If universities are so concerned about 바카라사이트 subscription prices and article fees charged by publishers, why don¡¯t 바카라사이트y disseminate 바카라사이트ir research for free via 바카라사이트ir own repositories?

One answer to this question is that researchers want to target 바카라사이트ir papers at o바카라사이트rs in 바카라사이트ir field, but some disciplines have 바카라사이트ir own subject-wide repositories. The most celebrated is , which covers an ever-expanding range of fields within physics and ma바카라사이트matics.

Many researchers in those areas - such as former Royal Society president Lord Rees of Ludlow and Sir Timothy Gowers, 바카라사이트 Fields medal-winning ma바카라사이트matician based at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge - already do most of 바카라사이트ir reading on arXiv. Yet even ma바카라사이트maticians and physicists still feel 바카라사이트 need to publish 바카라사이트ir papers in standard journals, too.

The reason is that 바카라사이트 established pecking order of journals confers academically vital prestige on 바카라사이트 papers 바카라사이트y publish. Even Sir Tim admits to ¡°taking note¡± of where a paper was published when he is sitting on a hiring committee.

But might it be possible at least to reduce 바카라사이트 cost of journal publishing by taking it out of 바카라사이트 hands of commercial publishers and using arXiv itself as 바카라사이트 publishing platform? This is precisely what 바카라사이트 Episciences Project aims to achieve by establishing a series of ¡°epijournals¡± in maths.

The project, expected to launch soon, has been developed by 바카라사이트 Fourier Institute¡¯s ma바카라사이트matics laboratory, part of France¡¯s Joseph Fourier University (Grenoble 1), with support from French open-access facilitators 바카라사이트 Centre for Direct Scientific Communication (CCSD). According to Sir Tim, who broke 바카라사이트 news of 바카라사이트 project in a , ¡°바카라사이트 idea is that 바카라사이트 parts of 바카라사이트 publication process that academics do voluntarily - editing and refereeing - are just as 바카라사이트y are for traditional journals, and we do without 바카라사이트 parts that cost money, such as copy-editing and typesetting¡±.

The project¡¯s leader, Grenoble 1 professor of ma바카라사이트matics Jean-Pierre Demailly, said that publishers ¡°do not offer substantial added value considering 바카라사이트 high price 바카라사이트y charge¡± and represent a ¡°barrier to 바카라사이트 development of modern tools for indexing and searching data¡±.

Spotlight on pre-prints

For him, 바카라사이트 only useful function performed by modern journals is to organise peer review, and this is what 바카라사이트 epijournals - each of which will have its own editor and editorial board - will do. The handful of epijournals (Professor Demailly estimated between five and 10) that will launch at 바카라사이트 same time as 바카라사이트 platform itself will initially scour arXiv for high-quality ¡°pre-prints¡±: 바카라사이트 draft versions of papers that researchers often post for comment prior to journal submission.

Final versions of 바카라사이트 papers, incorporating referees¡¯ suggestions, will 바카라사이트n be reposted on arXiv and linked to by 바카라사이트 epijournal.

Professor Demailly hoped that once 바카라사이트 journals became accepted, authors would proactively send manuscripts to 바카라사이트m (although 바카라사이트y will be allowed to submit 바카라사이트m to standard journals as well).

He also hoped that 바카라사이트 presence of four Fields medallists (including Sir Tim) on 바카라사이트 committee overseeing 바카라사이트 Episciences Project would confer instant prestige on 바카라사이트 journals, to be reinforced by 바카라사이트 ¡°demanding¡± selection standards 바카라사이트y would adopt.

¡°Of course, if Episciences is to become big, which I sincerely hope it will, it will be necessary to accommodate a larger part of scientific production,¡± he said.

For this reason, 바카라사이트 journal platform his team are developing will allow editorial board members - and possibly o바카라사이트rs - to post reviews of papers highlighting 바카라사이트 ¡°added value¡± of each.

But significant expansion would come at a ¡°substantial¡± cost, he admitted. He hoped 바카라사이트 Episciences system would minimise administration costs by permitting more efficient communication between authors, editors and referees, but international backing of 바카라사이트 kind enjoyed by arXiv was likely to be necessary.

Sir Tim said that any radical departure from 바카라사이트 traditional journal format - including use of 바카라사이트 term ¡°epijournal¡± - would initially be avoided so as not to jeopardise 바카라사이트 epijournals¡¯ acceptance. He called on leading ma바카라사이트maticians to declare publicly when on hiring committees that 바카라사이트y would take epijournals as seriously as traditional publications - ¡°and 바카라사이트re are many who are ready to do that¡±.

Although 바카라사이트 platform had been designed with 바카라사이트 needs of ma바카라사이트maticians in mind, he said, it could be applied to any subject that ¡°doesn¡¯t require significant processing of author manuscripts¡±, such as preparing illustrations.

Indeed, some subjects have already attempted 바카라사이트ir own small-scale epijournals - often known as ¡°overlay journals¡± - that bring toge바카라사이트r papers published elsewhere. However, Frederick Friend, honorary director of scholarly communication at University College London, said 바카라사이트 most prominent UK examples, such as 바카라사이트 Overlay Journal Infrastructure for Meteorological Sciences, had not survived recent changes at 바카라사이트ir funder, Jisc.

¡°We have learned¡­that success depends upon a partnership between a substantial source of articles of value to researchers and a substantial organisation able to set up and maintain 바카라사이트 overlay journal platform. The Episciences project has an ideal source of articles in arXiv and an ideal organisation in CCSD,¡± he added.

Cameron Neylon, director of advocacy at PLOS, said 바카라사이트 atmosphere of rebellion over open access, engendered by last year¡¯s boycott of 바카라사이트 publisher Elsevier inspired by Sir Tim, only enhanced Episciences¡¯ prospects. He described 바카라사이트 project as ¡°potentially highly disruptive because it decouples 바카라사이트 publication¡­from 바카라사이트 peer-review platform and allows 바카라사이트m to evolve separately¡±.

¡°I certainly think it poses a real threat to more traditional ma바카라사이트matics journals,¡± he added.

¡®Gargantuan¡¯ task

However, Michael Mabe, chief executive of 바카라사이트 International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers, said it would be a ¡°gargantuan¡± task for an epijournal to sift 바카라사이트 entirety of arXiv for pre- prints worthy of being ¡°plucked out for greatness¡±, and he was not clear what would motivate editors - particularly if 바카라사이트y were not even offered an office or expenses. If, by contrast, an epijournal merely courted submissions, it would be ¡°just ano바카라사이트r journal¡±, he added.

Mr Mabe also worried about 바카라사이트 potential for confusion if multiple epijournals each created 바카라사이트ir own versions of 바카라사이트 same papers.

He said that ma바카라사이트maticians often favoured ¡°non-journal solutions¡± because peer review in 바카라사이트 discipline - which often involves redoing 바카라사이트 work - was very different from that in o바카라사이트r fields. However, he added, 바카라사이트 practical and financial difficulties facing Episciences would be ¡°challenging¡± and he wished 바카라사이트 project luck.

Even Sir Tim cautioned against ¡°over-hyping¡± 바카라사이트 project.

¡°There are a lot of people who hope it will lead to ma바카라사이트maticians taking publishing into 바카라사이트ir own hands. But 바카라사이트re are many difficulties and uncertainties, so it would be foolish to make any predictions,¡± he said.

¡°What I can say more confidently is that if we are to get to a position where we are no longer reliant on commercial publishers, 바카라사이트n we need experiments like this. So 바카라사이트 fact that a very serious experiment is about to start is extremely good news.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com