Public Library of Science Logo 1
Open Access, Public Library of Science, and BioMed Central.

"The written record is the lifeblood of science…
our ability to build on the old to discover the new
is all based on the way we disseminate our results."
Dr. Harold Vermus.
Founder of the Public Library of Science

There is an ongoing debate in the scientific and publishing communities on changing the process of scholarly communication. The issue of who should have control over access to scientific knowledge continues to be controversial. Open Access link removed, a relatively new publishing form, is based on a different business and pricing model than the familiar and dominant subscription-license one.

Open access journals are freely available online worldwide. The articles are deposited immediately upon publication, without any restrictions, in at least one widely and internationally recognized open access repository (such as PubMed Central link removed). The author(s) or copyright owner(s) irrevocably grant(s) the right to use, reproduce, or disseminate the research article in its entirety, in any format or medium. When a paper is accepted for publication in an open access journal, a fee is paid by the author's institution or research grant. By shifting the cost from access to publishing, the Open Access model offers free research articles to the reader.

The LSUHSC Libraries in New Orleans support two open access publishers, BioMed Central link removed (BMC) and Public Library of Science link removed (PLoS), by maintaining institutional memberships. These memberships are paid by SCAMeL link removed (South Central Academic Medical Libraries), a library consortium to which the LSUHSC Libraries belong.

PLOS logo 2
Public Library of Science is a non-profit organization which publishes peer-reviewed journals in the life sciences and medicine. PLoS Biology (launched October 2003) and PLoS Medicine (due to launch Fall 2004) are the two named thus far. PLoS does plan to add additional titles with more specialized focus in the future. Because of the Libraries' membership, LSUHSC authors are offered a 50% reduction in publication charges. The cost to the author is then $750 per article rather than $1500.

BioMed Central logo
BioMed Central (BMC), to which the Library has subscribed since last Fall, continues to offer free access to over 100 journals. BMC now has 434 institutional members in 39 countries. All research articles and most other content in BioMed Central's journals are fully and rapidly peer-reviewed. The Libraries' institutional membership allows LSUHSC authors to waive the BMC publication charge of $500 and to publish an unlimited number of research articles. To date, LSUHSC researchers have published the following articles in BMC journals (sorted by date):
Research
Long term physiologic modification using rAAV in utero gene-therapy link removed
Garrett DJ, Cohen JC, Larson JE
Genetic Vaccines and Therapy 2004, 2:4 (19 May 2004)

Research article
Transient in utero knockout (TIUKO) of C-MYC affects late lung and intestinal development in the mouse link removed
Cohen JC, Scott DK, Miller J, Zhang J, Zhou P, Larson JE
BMC Developmental Biology 2004, 4:4 (16 April 2004)

Meeting abstract
IL-1-dependent cartilage damage in a macrophage-driven arthritis model can be circumvented by T cell IL-17 link removed
Koenders MI, Lubberts E, Joosten LAB, Kolls JK, van den Berg WB
Arthritis Res Ther 2004, 6(Suppl 1):30 (24 February 2004)

Research article
Association of Atopobium vaginae, a recently described metronidazole resistant anaerobe, with bacterial vaginosis link removed
Ferris MJ, Masztal A, Aldridge KE, Fortenberry JD, Fidel PL, Martin DH
BMC Infectious Diseases 2004, 4:5 (13 February 2004)

Review
Dendritic cells: In the forefront of immunopathogenesis and vaccine development - A review link removed
Mohamadzadeh M, Luftig R
Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines 2004, 2:1 (13 January 2004)

Proceedings
Importance sampling method of correction for multiple testing in affected sib-pair linkage analysis link removed
Klein AP, Kovac I, Sorant AJM, Baffoe-Bonnie A, Doan BQ, Ibay G, Lockwood E, Mandal D, Santhosh L, Weissbecker K, Woo J, Zambelli-Weiner A, Zhang J, Naiman DQ, Malley J, Bailey-Wilson JE
BMC Genetics 2003, 4(Suppl 1):S73 (31 December 2003)

Methodology article
In utero recombinant adeno-associated virus gene transfer in mice, rats, and primates link removed
Garrett DJ, Larson JE, Dunn D, Marrero L, Cohen JC
BMC Biotechnology 2003, 3:16 (30 September 2003)

Brief report
Quantitative competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction is not a useful method for quantification of CD4 and CD8 cell status during HIV infection link removed
Jaspan HB, Richard Gaumer H, Garry RF
Journal of Negative Results in BioMedicine 2003, 2:2 (12 March 2003)

Meeting abstract
Local IL-17 gene therapy accelerates collagen arthritis with severe bone erosion and rank ligand and rank expression in synovial infiltrate and at bone erosion sites link removed
Lubberts E, Joosten LAB, Schwarzenberger P, Oppers B, van de Bersselaar L, Kolls JK, van den Berg WB
Arthritis Res 2001, 3(Suppl 1):P20 (25 April 2001)

Research article
The viral transmembrane superfamily: possible divergence of Arenavirus and Filovirus glycoproteins from a common RNA virus ancestor link removed
Gallaher WR, DiSimone C, Buchmeier MJ
BMC Microbiology 2001, 1:1 (9 February 2001)
Faculty should consider Open Access journals as another outlet for their scholarly research.

If you have any questions about BMC or PLoS services, or any other Library service, please contact a Reference Librarian link removed, at 568-6102 or 568-8339 for the Isché Library or at 619-8507 at the Dental Library link removed.

-- Hanna Kwasik link removed