Fri, 05 Mar 2004 16:57:51 GMT

Science reader writes funds for author payments out of reach for non-U.S. scientists. Peter Celec, Open Access and Those Lacking Funds, Science 303(5663), 1467 (5 March 2004). (Access restricted to subscribers.) A Slovakian scientist comments on the lack of funds available to support author publication charges in his country, in contrast to U.S. scientists whom he says can draw upon funding bodies and/or their respective institutions; “I will have to read the articles from PLoS Biology–for free–and try to publish my work in Science or Nature–also for free.” [Open Access News]

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I agree, this was my argument earlier, Open is open, no barriers, but money is barrier technology, it creates and perpetuates classes and distinctions amongst people. By putting the monetary requirement on submission, you create a second class of scientists, and that is bad, because science is supposed to be egalitarian and meritocratic.