Dear Ecologers, I'd like to probe the forum on people's opinion of the publication models available to scientists today. I (and probably most of us) have seen a massive rise in the number of open access publications over just the last 2-3 years. And yet this seems to be happening alongside an explosion in the number of traditional-style publications as well. What does this all mean for us ecologists trying to get our studies read by as many people as possible and by those that can take your information and make a difference with it – either through further research or policy?
I'll be honest that I'm leery of many of the new open access journals. I do see value in them, especially for those who are at underfunded research centers that don't have access to many of the mainstream publications. On the other hand, what are they? Do they ultimately reach as many people? And do they reach the "right" people – the ones that control aspects of policy or have top-tier research programs. Are these new journals to be indexed in Web of Science or the other academic search engines? So many questions surround this new format and I just wonder what the rest of the community thinks. Andrew -- Andrew L. Rypel Box 870206 Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Office: (205)348-4439 Mobile: (205)886-9916 http://bama.ua.edu/~rypel001
