ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio University Libraries recently became an institutional member of BioMed Central, a publisher of open access research journals in biomedical fields. As part of the membership, faculty, staff and students are entitled to submit an unlimited number of research papers free of charge to any of the journals published by BioMed Central.
BioMed Central publishes more than 100 peer-reviewed research journals across the spectrum of biology and medicine and in electronic format. The publisher is pioneering an alternative model of scholarly publishing by operating under the open access publishing principle and allowing free Internet access to its journal – eliminating article processing charges. However, submitted articles are all subject to full and stringent peer review.
According to BioMed Central's web site, "Open access to research is central to rapid and efficient progress in science and that subscription-based access to research is hindering rather than helping scientific communication."
Advantages for publishing with BioMed Central include higher visibility for the research, rapid review and immediate publication, tracking of the number of readers and downloads of any article, retention of copyright and automatic inclusion in the PubMed bibliographic database.
Ohio University's membership in BioMed Central is a benefit of OhioLINK participation. OhioLINK, a statewide consortium of academic libraries, offers many electronic resources and statewide services to Ohio's academic community. The BioMed Central journals can be accessed through OhioLINK's Electronic Journal Center. OhioLINK also provides archiving of e-journals for permanent availability to Ohio's higher education institutions. Information about BioMed Central and the OhioLINK membership is available online at www.biomedcentral.com/inst/45607.
The Ohio University Libraries are ranked among the top research libraries in North America and hold membership in the prestigious Association of Research Libraries. The Libraries offer personalized service, an extensive electronic library, and over 2.4 million volumes, and include the Vernon R. Alden Library, the Music/Dance Library, the Hwa-Wei Lee Annex at the Athens campus, as well as libraries on the five regional campuses. For more information, visit the Ohio University Libraries online at: www.library.ohiou.edu.
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