[Forwarding from Alicia Wise at Elsevier. --Peter Suber.] **
At Elsevier we have noted the statement issued by the Steering Committee for OpenAccess.SE following its meeting on 23 May, and would welcome the opportunity to clarify some items and respond. First, let me say that we have always welcomed the opportunity for dialogue with the Steering Committee. Indeed, we have worked successfully in partnership with many organisations that share our vision for universal access to information of high-quality and in ways sustainable for all stakeholders in scholarly communications**** ** ** We would like to clarify that Elsevier’s posting policy is not in fact new, although we have been making a very conscious efforts to communicate it more clearly in recent months. The policy supports our vision of universal access to high-quality information in the following ways: **** - Our journal authors are able to use copies of their articles in a broad variety of ways. For example authors can make copies of their article for personal use, for their own classroom teaching use, to distribute or email to research colleagues and for the personal use of those colleagues, to distribute to delegates at meetings, to post a pre-print on websites and pre-print servers, and to post voluntarily the accepted manuscript version on a personal or institutional web site or server for scholarly purposes. (More details are available at www.elsevier.com/access/). Our usage policies are among the most responsive to author needs in the STM publishing industry.**** ** ** - We believe the voluntary posting of manuscripts is an acceptable practice for authors, and that both institutions and publishers should respect their choices. The systematic posting of manuscripts, for example because of a mandate to post, is only agreeable if done in ways that are sustainable for the underlying journal. **** - Our first systematic posting agreements have been with funding bodies and date back to 2005. Authors funded by organizations such as Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and NIH could not have complied with the systematic posting policies of these funding bodies under the terms of our voluntary posting policy, so we created agreements or arrangements with those funders to enable authors to comply in ways that we believed would be sustainable. **** - Embargo periods are a feature of these agreements or arrangements. The embargo periods are journal specific and differ according to the varied usage patterns that exist across science and social science areas. A high percentage of these are for a 12 month period, predominantly in life and health sciences, but in other areas such as mathematics and social sciences longer embargo periods of typically 24 or 36 months are necessary to ensure the sustainability of the underlying journals. **** - During the period when the embargo period would apply to posted manuscripts there is wide availability of articles. 93% of researchers surveyed in academic institutions reported that they are satisfied with access to research information in journal articles (Access vs. Importance, A global study assessing the importance of and ease of access to professional and academic information Phase I Results<http://www.publishingresearch.net/documents/PRCAccessvsImportanceGlobalNov2010_000.pdf>, Publishing Research Consortium, October 2010 – 4,109 respondents). However we are not complacent with even this great result, and systematically identify and close access gaps in sustainable ways through programmes such as Research4Life which provides free and very low cost access to researchers in the world’s poorest countries. We also have an extremely active program of pilots to provide innovative access services to members of the public, patients and their families, people working in small and medium sized businesses, students, etc. **** We believe that author rights agreements and subscription agreements should be kept separate, but we are of course very happy to talk with BIBSAM or other organizations in Sweden (and, indeed, elsewhere) about either topic. Please note that as our early systematic posting agreements have been with funding bodies, we are still in test-and-learn mode for institutional agreements. We are therefore currently running a pilot program and would be willing to work with a small number of Swedish institutions as part of this program. **** ** ** Organizations that need but do not yet have, or do not want, a systematic posting agreement are asked to work with us to minimize unauthorized distribution and use of journal article, in line with the following Elsevier policies:**** ** ** - www.elsevier.com/copyright**** - www.elsevier.com/postingpolicy**** ** ** We understand the role that public access to research can have in enabling society to progress, and we’re always happy to work with research institutions to find ways of achieving access objectives in sustainable ways. **** ** ** With best wishes,**** ** ** Alicia**** ** ** Dr Alicia Wise**** Director of Universal Access**** Elsevier I The Boulevard I Langford Lane I Kidlington I Oxford I OX5 1GB**** T: +44 (0)1865 843317 I F: +44 (0)1865 853333 I M: +44 (0) 7823 536 826 I E: a.w...@elsevier.com**** ** ** Elsevier Limited. Registered Office: The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, United Kingdom, Registration No. 1982084 (England and Wales).
