Access to medical journals: Free versus Fee

Over the past few months, the journal Nature has published a series of articles on the "free versus fee debate" regarding access to the scientific literature. This debate was sparked by the launch of the Public Library of Science (PLoS) (see news report of 5Aug2003). On 16 March, more than 40 biomedical societies banded together to form the Washington DC Principles for Free Access to Science, which combats calls for immediate and unrestricted access to science research. They argue that publishing revenues pay for the development of the next generation of scientists.