Brussels, 03/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 31 March the European Commission published a study carried out by a group of experts, which examines the scientific publication system in Europe. It was commissioned as part of the current debate on access conditions to scientific publication and their diffusion.
Scientific publication ensures that research results are made known. Given the high level of investment in research by the public authorities, it is becoming increasingly important that the publication of research results is accessible to as wide a public as possible. Recommendations include: 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@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 of Brussels”.The study is available for downloading at: (http: //europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/pdf/scientific-publication-study).