Interactive open access publishing and collaborative peer review for improved scientific communication and quality assurance

摘要

The traditional ways of scientific publishing and peer review do not live up to the needs of efficient communication and quality assurance in today's highly diverse and rapidly developing world of science Therefore, new opportunities for enhanced scientific quality assurance are among the most important advantages and perspectives of open access to scientific publications. Open access gives referees more information to work with; it enables interactive and transparent forms of review and discussion open to all interested members of the scientific community and the public; and it facilitates the development and implementation of new metrics for the impact and quality of scientific publications. The effects and advantages of open access can be efficiently and flexibly combined with the strengths of traditional scientific publishing and peer review. Among the successful initiatives pursuing this approach are the interactive open access journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP, wwwatmos-chem-phys.net) and a growing number of sister journals published by the European Geosciences Union (EGU, www.egu.eu). They are practicing a two-stage publication process with public peer review and interactive discussion, which has been designed to resolve the dilemma between rapid scientific exchange and thorough quality assurance.