CEO DATELINE - Science, publishing groups oppose ending embargo for journal articles
CEO DATELINE - Science, publishing groups oppose ending embargo for journal articles
- December 19, 2019 |
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Walt Williams
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More than 125 organizations representing scientific societies and publishers are urging President Donald Trump to reject a proposed executive order requiring instant free public access to journal articles containing federally funded research.
The proposed order would build upon an Obama-era memo mandating that any results using federally funded research be made available with a year of publication, according to E&E News. The Trump administration is instead suggesting those results be made available immediately, which could mean fewer subscribers to pay for curating and reviewing the research.
Many scientific and medical journals are published by associations such as the American Chemical Society, which is one of the groups that signed letters urging the administration not to move forward with its plans.
"The proposed changes could result in unintended consequences that undermine the global scientific leadership of the U.S.," Glenn Ruskin, vice president of ACS external affairs and communications, said in a statement. "The proposed changes could also interfere with the efforts made by publishers to responsibly and transparently move toward greater open access of the research reported in their journals."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics are among the groups opposing the order. So is the Association of American Publishers, with CEO Maria Pallante saying the publishing industry invests billions of dollars in peer-reviewed journals.
"If the proposed policy goes into effect, not only would it wipe out a significant sector of our economy, it would also cost the federal government billions of dollars, undermine our nation's scientific research and innovation, and significantly weaken America's trade position," she said.
Details about the specifics of the proposed order remain murky, E&E News reported. A senior White House official told the news site that "internal deliberative processes that may or may not be happening." http://bit.ly/2S4yiVy
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