Open Access Publishing

Use the link to access pay-per-view options for the article published in the Journal of Critical Care available from Elsevier.  The article opens as follows: "New insights on blood transfusion in cardiac surgery, mechanical ventilation updates and articles detailing improvements in current practice standards and care and a one time addition of 200 print pages create a rich collection for the December issue and the final content for 2012. The topic of 'Open Access' is increasingly discussed among publishers and within journal portfolios. For those of you not familiar with the concept, the following explanation may prove helpful. Articles published in traditional subscription journals appear in print following a variable production processing time from submission to acceptance to publication; following print appearance, articles were traditionally prepared as reprints (usually purchased by the author) for distribution to interested readers who requested the reprint directly. With the advent of electronic processing, the traditional reprint has become increasingly uncommon, and distribution of manuscripts varies widely among publishers, authors, and readers. While the value, recognition and requirement for reprints has declined, so have the number of print journal subscribers. Many traditional National and Specialty Professional Societies maintain a publication 'tithe' embedded in their membership dues that establishes a print subscription for active members; many more organizations rely on library subscriptions to offset the cost of producing special interest journals that have no specific society affiliation. Correspondingly, libraries' budgets are threatened as their traditional role of paper book and journal acquisition increasingly becomes one of obtaining (purchasing) electronic access to a new publication portfolios. The concept of a manuscript becoming freely available following publication is gaining popularity, and international organizations and some government regulations mandate that manuscripts be made generally available without cost to the reader. To accomplish this goal, there are 4 basic open access models under discussion, and Elsevier, publisher of the Journal of Critical Care (JCC), participates in all. For JCC's readers and authors, this is an important innovation that requires explanation."