================================================================ Press Release 3rd September 1999 NIH'S E-BIOMED (PUBMED CENTRAL) DEBATED ON HMS BEAGLE ================================================================ New York, September 3, 1999 - PubMed Central (nee E-BioMed), the highly ambitious - and highly controversial - Internet science publishing initiative from the National Institutes of Health, is the topic of the latest Cutting Edge debate on HMS Beagle, the BioMedNet Magazine. (http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle/61/viewpts/overview). Spearheading the project is NIH director Harold Varmus, who promotes PubMed Central as an electronic "public library" of the entire life sciences/medical literature - this archive would be freely available to anyone and everyone via the Net. Such a plan has the potential to fundamentally change the way science publishing - and perhaps even science itself - is done. HMS Beagle presents extensive commentary and background on E-BioMed, from Varmus himself and from other major figures in science publishing, all of whom hold varying stakes in the outcome of the project: Mary Waltham, US President of Nature; Michelle Hogan, Executive Director of the American Association of Immunologists; and Karen Hunter, Senior Vice President at Elsevier Science Publishing (which owns HMS Beagle and its parent site, BioMedNet). These four offered their views at a June 1999 symposium hosted by the Washington DC Science Writers' Association. Also heard from in the Beagle debate is Los Alamos National Laboratory particle phyicist Paul Ginsparg, whose pioneering work in online archiving inspired the NIH project. Commercial science publisher Vitek Tracz provides further commentary. The special issue also includes descriptions of other new electronic archives of scientific material. As Varmus describes it, the NIH repository would offer "complete, seamless access to the entire literature." It would also provide users with other major benefits including great flexibility in sharing information, and the ability to evolve with the literature. Some key elements of the original proposal have been altered since the June symposium, and HMS Beagle Editor-in-Chief Lois Wingerson provides the latest updates in her synposis of the debate (http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle/61/viewpts/synopsis). The project name itself has evolved from "E-BioMed" to "PubMed Central", as the site will be integrated with the existing PubMed biomedical literature database. Money, status, credibility, independence - these are just some of the issues, each more charged than the next, that have sprung up around this proposal. One hot spot appeared early on when Varmus revealed that, in order to be as inclusive as possible, the repository would post "minimally reviewed" research papers (clearly labeled as such) that would not have been through the rigorous peer-review normally associated with publication. Strenuous objections followed regarding the credibility of such material, notably from the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), a major collaborator in the venture. The issue remains a heated topic. Financial issues are, as ever, high on the list of concerns. By offering free access to research papers, PubMed Central is a potential threat to publishers' revenues. Particularly vulnerable are professional societies, which depend heavily on income from their publishing activities. At the same time, the PubMed Central proposal would shift more of the costs of archiving away from readers or institutions, and onto the researchers themselves. Many wonder whether scientists will be willing and able to bear such costs. Myriad other questions arise: would an archive like PubMed Central lead to over-involvement by the government in the dissemination of scientific information? This could further compromise the credibility of the site's content. Would such a huge undertaking distract the NIH from its fundamental mission of promoting and funding scientific research? And so on. Both the potential benefits and dangers of this far-reaching project are enormous, and feelings in all quarters run deep. This is a debate that has only just begun. About HMS Beagle ================================================================ HMS Beagle is the award-winning online BioMedNet Magazine for biological and medical researchers. It provides daily news digests from major science publications, and bi-weekly original content such as opinions, meetings coverage, debates, Website and software reviews, fiction and much more - all on the life sciences. Visit http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle For information on citing HMS Beagle, please visit: http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle/current/about/citing#citing About BioMedNet ================================================================ BioMedNet is the Internet Community for Biological and Medical Researchers, which currently has over 460,000 members worldwide. BioMedNet provides the life science community with access to an unparalleled range of information resources, including: a full-text library; scientific databases including Evaluated MEDLINE; HMS Beagle; an interactive Job Exchange; BioMedLink, the 'Yahoo' for scientists; overnight conference coverage and much more. Membership to BioMedNet is free. http://www.biomednet.com For further information please contact: Barbara Sullivan/Lois Wingerson HMS Beagle, The BioMedNet Magazine Tel: 212-462-1928/212-462-1926 Email: barbara@hmsbeagle.com/lois@hmsbeagle.com Simon Prodger Press Officer, BioMedNet Tel: +44 (0)171 323 5348 Email: simon.prodger@biomednet.com ================================================================ Visit http://www.biomednet.com/display/info/pr.html to see archived BioMedNet press releases.
