New Public Library of Science Swamped with Success
Getting a leap on government-sponsored initiatives, the Public Library of Science (PLoS) launched an online service for free distribution of scientific papers has been awashin interest since its launch last weekend, according to CNET News. The service is concentrating initially on biomed, and collects fees from contributors who get efficient peer review as a part of the process. "Free" resonates as a dirty word to most professional journal publishers, but this is not about giving away the store as much as creating value for the people who need to publish as much as for the content consumers. The probable explosion of people willing and able to share their advanced thinking with colleagues is bound to create opportunities for monetization and value creation far beyond those imagined to date by journal publishers.