Information Society Watch

February 28, 2007, BBC News Service

In this article, Michael Geist, who is an Internet law professor analyses the changes in the dissemination of research information to the general public. In the current model, researchers in government funded projects publish their findings in research journals which can be accessed only by purchasing them. However, a new stand has been taken based on the open access principle which argues that results from research funded by taxpayer money should be available free of cost. Thus the vision is to create a globally accessible scientific repository which would benefit the greater majority of people instead of the current restrictive fee based publication model. The author explains the primary drivers of this initiative and also the barriers that must be overcome to make this a success.

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