TU vraagt steun voor open access - TU Delta - Weekblad van de Technische Universiteit Delft

"Give everyone online access to scientific publications. That is in short open access. University Association VSNU wants the publishers of scientific journals do make the standard. TU urges employees to support that. VSNU wrote in July a letter to all 'members of the academic community' with the question of whether they are committed to open access. TU send this letter by shortly to all employees. VSNU Specifically wants publishers such as Elsevier, Springer and Wiley earn their money. In a different way No more expensive subscriptions, which TU alone annually six million have been lost, but with scientists who pay publishers per publication. The articles are then free for everyone worldwide. The system of peer review remains. VSNU is currently in negotiations with publishers about licensing for universities. In the letter it hopes to increase the pressure. Rector Karel Luyben admits that individual scientists can not change the system. "Well, they can contribute to a different culture. You can avoid open access, or just looking for new opportunities. This is important to everyone, even for the less fortunate who can afford it. 'Expensive subscriptions knowledge accessible Luyben is aware that publishers not tomorrow will be, even though they put small steps. Today "I call meestribbelen. They have little to gain to really change. In the meantime, upon asking universities anyway their researchers to publish in their online archives and articles in the repositories of their institutions.' The latter is done sparsely. Precise figures are not available, but according to the TU Delft Library goes in Delft to less than twenty percent. Incidentally, the repository is not the only place where researchers can turn to. Prof. Ronald Hanson of quantum transport department at the Faculty of Applied Sciences has published two months ago in the prestigious journal Science, but always puts his first articles in the open access platform arXiv . To give you the opportunity to inform other scientists since the times of the scientific journals are long because the articles are geriewed extensively. But especially the latter gives confidence in the quality, prestige and do not forget: researchers by some institutions - not TU - settled on publishing articles in top journals. The latter would have to be dealt with also thinks Hanson, in order to bring. Really a change in motion 'It is good that universities put this on the agenda.'"