Commission study addresses Europe's scientific publication system

[Eugene Garfield]

 Subject:  ] Commission study addresses Europe's scientific publication system

The European Commission has published a study which examines the scientific
publication system in Europe. Scientific publication ensures that research
results are made known, which is a pre-condition for further research and
for turning this knowledge into innovative products and services. Scientific
publication is also an important part of certifying the quality of the work
done. Given the scarcity of public money to provide access to scientific
publications, there is a strong interest in seeing that Europe has an
effective and functioning system for scientific publication that speedily
delivers results to a wide audience. The report, drawn up for the Commission
by a panel of experts, makes a number of recommendations for future action,
including improving access to publicly-funded research. All interested
parties are invited to send feedback on the report's findings to the
Commission, to provide input for a conference on scientific publication to
be held in autumn 2006.

European Science and Research Commissioner, Janez Potočnik said "It is in
all our interests to find a model for scientific publication that serves
research excellence. We are ready to work with readers, authors, publisher
and funding bodies to develop such a model."

The study looked at the economic and technical evolution of scientific
publication markets in Europe. It was commissioned as a contribution to
on-going public debate on the conditions of access to and dissemination of
scientific publications. There have been significant changes in the
landscape over the last 30 years, in particular the rise of internet use.
The study confirms scientific journals as an essential channel for the
dissemination of scientific knowledge. With large amounts of public money
invested in research, it becomes increasingly important for publications
reporting on that research to be accessible to as wide a public as possible.


The study therefore makes a number of recommendations for future action,
including:

*       Guaranteed public access to publicly-funded research, at the time of
publication and also long-term
*       A "level-playing field" so that different business models in
publishing can compete fairly in the market
*       Ranking scientific journals by quality, defined more widely than
pure scientific excellence, but also taking into account factors such as
management of copyright, search facilities and archiving
*       Developing pricing strategies that promote competition in the
journal market
*       Scrutinising major mergers that may take place in this sector in the
future
*       Promoting the development of electronic publication, for example by
eliminating unfavourable tax treatment of electronic publications and
encouraging public funding and public-private partnerships to create digital
archives in areas with little commercial investment.

The European Commission is keen to hear the views of all interested parties.
It is therefore calling for reactions to the study, and contributions on
other issues linked to scientific publications. Contributions should be sent
to rtd-scientific-publication at cec.eu.int by 1st June 2006.

The study and its public feedback will be at the centre of a conference on
scientific publication to be held in autumn 2006. SINAPSE, the web interface
between the scientific community and Europe's policy-makers, will also host
a debate on the subject. (SINAPSE's website: http://europa.eu.int/sinapse)

The study was carried out by a consortium led by Professor Mathias
Dewatripont of the "Université Libre de Bruxelles".
The study is available for downloading at:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/pdf/scientific-publicatio
n-study_en.pdf

The press release is at

http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/414