"In the spirit of open access the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), which publishes the journal, is now making full-text articles available to the public two years after publication," said Becky Haines, ARRS director of publications. In the past, only members of the ARRS and subscribers of the AJR had full access to the archived journal without charge.

"The decision to provide open access shows that the ARRS stands behind its 'education first' motto," said Robert Stanley, MD, editor of the AJR. "The AJR is known for its practical value and making it more accessible means offering clinical information that will improve patient care," he continued.

Institutions and their libraries can now take advantage of a free and perpetually available online archive of the AJR, freeing up valuable shelf space while providing quick and easy access to key imaging articles, said Haines. The medical community as well as members of the general public will also have access to this trusted source, she said.

The ARRS subscribes to the Washington DC Principles for Free Access to Science, which support broad access to the scientific and medical literature without jeopardizing the quality of medical publications and publishing. The principles allow for immediate free access of important articles and free content for scientists working in many low-income nations. They also state that the full text of the journals is freely available "either immediately or within months of publication, depending on each publisher's business and publishing requirements." These principles are endorsed by about 50 not-for-profit medical and scientific societies and publishers. They are in response to a plan that would provide immediate online access to scientific and medical literature, but would require researchers and their funding institut
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15-Sep-2004