An interesting and provocative article by Nobel laureate Randy Schekman was published in The Guardian yesterday. Randy detailed some of the problems created by the pressure to publish in “luxury”, high-profile, subscription-based journals. Briefly mentioned in contrast was eLife, a joint initiative of the Max Planck Society, HHMI, and the Wellcome Trust. eLife is an open access journal with editors who are active researchers, rather than professional editors. Tony is one of eLife’s academic editors and truly enjoys the experience. eLife says that the aims of its initiative are:
- To make publishing more efficient, by providing outstanding service to authors through a swift, constructive, and fair editorial process.
- To exploit digital media in the presentation of results, by increasing their utility for further research and broadening participation to the widest possible audience.
- To drive open access, by providing an outstanding new publishing option for authors with ground-breaking research.
- To catalyse innovation in research communication, by experimentation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Here in the Hyman lab, and as members of the Max Planck Society, we support eLife and its mission.