PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCIENCE: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CALIFORNIA STEM CELL INSTITUTE'S POLICIES REGARDING GRANTEE-PRODUCED JOURNAL ARTICLES

摘要

The research institute funded by the California stem cell initiative is, if nothing else, a grand experiment in direct public support for biomedical research. Its successes and failures will impact not only stem cell research but also the broader relationship between science and the public. In order to ensure that the public is fully informed about the results of CIRM-funded research, and in order to share as widely as possible the benefits of the knowledge that such research produces, CIRM should adopt the following policies regarding the journal articles that result from its grantees' investigations: 1. Like works produced by NIH intramural researchers, the articles should not be protected by copyright. They should instead be dedicated to the public domain, by rule, in order to allow the public to make creative use of the works in databases, for patient advocacy purposes, in educational settings, and for other projects. 2. As a condition of accepting CIRM funds, grantees should be required to deposit with PubMed Central either the final manuscripts or the published versions of all articles that result from their CIRM-funded work for posting in PubMed Central immediately upon publication in the journals in which they appear. 3. CIRM should make available a standing fund from which grantees can draw money to pay the reasonable costs of publication in open access journals which request such fees.