Dear friends, An interesting report on "An Economic Analysis of Scientific Research Publishing" from wellcome trust is available at: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/awtpubrepeas.html HR Mohan Chief Systems Manager, The Hindu, 859 Anna Salai, Madras 600002, INDIA Phone: 91-44-28413344 :: Fax : 91-44-28415325 Email: hrmohan@vsnl.com Web : http://www.hinduonline.com ============================================================================ The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge. -- Sir William Arthur Lewis. About the report ================ An Economic Analysis of Scientific Research Publishing This report provides a comprehensive analysis of an industry that generates some £22 billion annually. Most research findings are published in journals, generally run either by commercial publishers or learned societies. The growth of the web has created new opportunities for the dissemination of scientific information, but although scientific information is made available on the web, its use is restricted by the access policies of publishers. Journal subscriptions are a significant financial burden on institutional libraries and individual researchers, and present a major obstacle to the timely and comprehensive sharing and use of scientific information. The report has been published to support constructive dialogue between key players in the scientific publishing field - publishers, researchers, academic institutions and funders. The ultimate aim of this dialogue would be to develop a publishing system that meets the needs of all groups, and best promotes the public good of scientific work - that is, disseminates research outputs to all who have an interest in them. The findings of this report contributed to the Trust's position statement in support of Open Access Publishing.