[Random-bits] KEI letter to Senate on open access to NIH funded research articles

[James Love]

http://www.keionline.org/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&task=3Dview&id=3D1=
02

United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

July 23, 2007

Dear Senator:

We are writing to urge the Senate to approve provisions in the FY =20
2008 Labor/HHS Appropriations Bill that direct the National =20
Institutes of Health to implement a mandatory obligation to provide =20
free public access to research articles resulting from NIH-funded =20
research.  Specifically, the provision requires researchers to =20
provide copies of NIH-funded research articles to the National =20
Library of Medicine's online archive, to be made publicly available =20
no later than 12 months after the official date of publication.

The public, including the taxpayers who pay for the research, will =20
benefit from access to the published findings.  The expanded access =20
will be particularly important to scientists, small business-owners, =20
physicians and clinicians, patients, students and educators.

Some peer-reviewed medical papers are already available online and =20
are of great benefit to doctors when informing patients of treatment =20
options.  Such information empowers these patients, their families, =20
and friends and enables them to make more informed decisions.  =20
However, the vast majority of papers supported with taxpayer funding =20
are not available to the general public, ever.

NIH's policy now calls for the voluntary deposit of articles in the =20
online archive.  The deposit rate for individual researchers is less =20
than five percent.  The voluntary approach has failed to protect the =20
public=92s interest in obtaining access to the research.

A mandate will ensure the public has access to all NIH-funded =20
research.  Please support the mandate that extends to all research =20
papers that benefited from NIH funding.

Sincerely,

Dr. Manon Ress (manon.ress@keionline.org, 202.332.2670)
James Love (james.love@keionline.org, 202.332.2670)
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), http://www.keinonline.org

The text of the provision in HR 3043 (Making appropriations for the =20
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and =20
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008)  is =20
as follows:

SEC. 217. The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall =20
require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have =20
submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed =20
Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed =20
manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly =20
available no later than 12 months after the official date of =20
publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access =20=

policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.


---------------------------------
James Packard Love
Knowledge Ecology International
mailto:james.love@keionline.org
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / U.S. mobile+1.202.361.3040, Geneva mobile =20
+41.76.413.6584

"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks."  Bill Walton"


----------------------------------------------
James Packard Love
Knowledge Ecology International
mailto:james.love@keionline.org
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / U.S. mobile+1.202.361.3040, Geneva mobile =20
+41.76.413.6584

"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks." Bill Walton"