Two articles in this week’s PLoS Medicine discuss the issues that need to be resolved to ensure that open access can provide for global information needs—not just those of the developed world.
Leslie Chan, Barbara Kirsop, and Subbiah Arunachalam, from the Electronic Publishing Trust for Development, argue in their essay that unequal access to and distribution of public knowledge is currently governed by Northern standards, a situation that is increasingly inappropriate in what they call the “age of the networked ‘Invisible College’.” Taking as a starting point the concept that open access is sustainable and, in the way it builds independence, has the capacity to establish a strong research base, they add the caution that standards for the assessment of journal quality and relevance in new open access journals must not ignore development needs nor marginalize local scholarship.
In a linked Editorial the PLoS Medicine editors agree that much remains to be done in improving access to information in the developing world. They note that by providing a logistical framework for open access, open access publishers have thus far done much to make it possible more widely. However, they conclude that the next crucial step is to engage with readers, researchers, and authors in the developing world to better understand their information needs.
Image Credit: John Martinez Pavliga at flickr.com
Editorial
On the Path to Global Open Access: A Few More Miles to Go
PLOS Medicine: published March 29, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001014
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Towards Open and Equitable Access to Research and Knowledge for Development
PLOS Medicine: published March 29, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001016
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Predicting Harms and Benefits in Translational Trials: Ethics, Evidence, and Uncertainty
PLOS Medicine: published March 8, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001010
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PLOS Medicine: published March 22, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001012
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Strengthening the Reporting of Genetic Risk Prediction Studies: The GRIPS Statement
PLOS Medicine: published March 15, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000420
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A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Effects of Counseling and Alarm Device on HAART Adherence and Virologic Outcomes
PLOS Medicine: published March 1, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000422
HIV-1 Drug Resistance Emergence among Breastfeeding Infants Born to HIV-Infected Mothers during a Single-Arm Trial of Triple-Antiretroviral Prophylaxis for Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission: A Secondary Analysis
PLOS Medicine: published March 29, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000430
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PLOS Medicine: published March 29, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001015
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Effectiveness of the Standard WHO Recommended Retreatment Regimen (Category II) for Tuberculosis in Kampala, Uganda: A Prospective Cohort Study
PLOS Medicine: published March 15, 2011 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000427
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Is Economic Growth Associated with Reduction in Child Undernutrition in India?
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