november 2006. does oa threaten journals’ quality? some publishers think so… “public access...

November 2006

How has the quality and depth of coverage of the BMJ changed with

the evolution of its open access model?

Trish Groves Deputy Editor

British Medical J ournal BioMed Central Colloquium

Thursday 8th February 2007, The Royal College of Physicians, London, UK

November 2006

Does OA threaten journals’ quality?Some publishers think so…

“public access equals government censorship”

PR's 'pit bull' Eric Dezenhall, advising non-OA publishers at Association of American Publishers’ meeting 2006

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070122/full/445347a.html Nature Published online: 24 January 2007; Corrected online: 25 January 2007 |

doi:10.1038/445347a

November 2006

Does OA threaten journals’ quality?Some publishers think so…

“We're like any firm under siege"

Barbara Meredith, vice-president, Association of American Publishers

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070122/full/445347a.html Nature Published online: 24 January 2007; Corrected online: 25 January 2007 | doi:10.1038/445347a

November 2006

Aims of this meeting

• explore the meaning of quality AND quantity from a clinical perspective

• investigate how publishers can deliver both quality and quantity in the open access environment – is quantity rising, and quality falling?

• examine the web’s impact on how quality and quantity [of research] are measured

November 2006

What I want to talk about

• quality AND quantity of BMJ research articles from a clinical perspective

• BMJ’s hybrid OA model

• quality measures of research on bmj.com

November 2006

What’s the BMJ doing?

• bmj.com provided completely free access to all content from 1998

• January 2006 subscription charges introduced for value added content

• Full text of original research remains open access

November 2006

November 2006

Quality of BMJ research: clinical reach

• To help doctors make better decisions

• Free and open access to BMJ research articles

• HINARI: immediate free access to all bmj.com

• Nearly 1m unique users of bmj.com a month

• Print BMJ reaches >106 000 UK doctors

• Most frequently cited journal in UK press

November 2006

BMJ hybrid publishing model: free and open access to research

• No author or page charges

• Subsidised by subscriptions, display advertising, BMJGroup profits…

• …not by BMA membership

November 2006

BMJ hybrid publishing model: high quality service to authors

Dedicated, personal, fast service

• 95% read within 24 hours of submission

• Final decision in two weeks on 95% not sent for external review

• Final decision in six weeks for 95% of rest

• Fast track appraisal

November 2006

BMJ hybrid publishing model:high quality service to authors

• Online First publication

• Immediately to PubMed Central, Crossref, ISI

• Open (signed) peer review, at least x2

• Copy editing/ professional abridging

• Authors keep copyright

• Authors get 10% from reprints and translations

November 2006

Quality of BMJ research: clinical relevance

Helping doctors’ decisions

• MS committee + clinical advisers + statisticians

• Research set in context: value added material

• Abridging to maximise readability and reach

• Transparency + quality assurance

• BMJ ethics committee

• Continuing debate/review: Rapid Responses

November 2006

Quality of BMJ research: clinical relevance and Rapid Responses

November 2006

Quality of BMJ research: measures

• BMJ Updates/Journal Watch/Faculty 1000 Med• Proportion of international research• ISI citations• Page impressions in first week of publication• Total accesses in 12 and 24 months• Number of Rapid Responses• Decision times• Post-publication review meeting

November 2006

Quality of BMJ research: outcomes

Of 266 published BMJ research articles in 2005

• N American and Australasian most cited and most accessed

• 4 Rapid Responses per paper• 32% articles in BMJ Updates, 26% in Journal

Watch (higher for US papers)• 13 papers had 5 citations and 5000 page

impressions

November 2006

Quality of BMJ research: outcomes

Systematic reviews/MAs and RCTs• Most

– citations in year of publication – Rapid Responses– page impressions in week of publication and

total accesses in first year• Twice as many total accesses in the first year

as observational studies

November 2006

Best research article 2005

November 2006

“when taxis and bread are free, value added commissioned articles can be free”

Vitek Tracz, Chairman, BioMed Central to Fiona Godlee, now editor, BMJ

November 2006

“impact factor eats open access for breakfast”

Fiona Godlee, now editor, BMJBMJ impact factor was 9.023 in 2005

November 2006

Thanks

Trish Grovestgroves@bmj.com