Open Access, High Ambitions

Open Access, High Ambitions

By Richard Gallagher

Fueled by scientists' resentment at perceived exploitation by established publishers, and driven by new opportunities in information technology, open access publishing burst onto the scene in biomedicine about five years ago. Most readers of The Scientist will be aware of the principal, two-part, argument in its favor, namely that:

• Maximum dissemination of properly peer-reviewed research is good for authors, good for funders, and, most importantly, good for progress of science, and
• Maximum dissemination is best ensured by immediate free access to published research papers.

		With this issue, we are delighted to welcome Richard Gallagher as the new Editor of The Scientist. He has a PhD in immunology from Glasgow University and six years of postdoc research experience. He left research to become editor of Immunology Today in 1989. Subsequently he worked as senior editor of Science in Cambridge, England. Most recently he...