NPG position statement on open access publishing and subscription business models

The Nature Publishing Group issued a major new (January 6, 2011) statement on OA. Excerpt: "We continue to experiment with different business models in different circumstances. One size does not fit all. Top tier journals, such as the Nature research journals, with high circulations and high costs per manuscript published, are best served by the subscription business model, where costs are spread amongst the high number of readers. Journals with lower costs (and lower paid circulations) are well suited to open access business models, with affordable article processing charges (APCs). NPG is expanding its activities in these areas with new open access journal launches and hybrid open access business models. For example, 80% of our academic journals offer an open access option or are fully open access. NPG has a liberal self-archiving policy for all authors of original research papers. We encourage self-archiving of the authors’ accepted version, with a release date of 6 months post-publication. This is compatible with all major funder access policies and mandates....We have, to date, found author self-archiving compatible with subscription business models, and so we have been actively encouraging self-archiving since 2005...."