See-Why.Net

We’re doing a research project right now in the wonderful world of CPSC430, and I came upon an article about Nature Publishing Group giving the University of California a 400% increase. While we are not reading from Nature in CPSC430, I have used it extensively for biology courses, and other scientific journals probably run under the same model. Researchers at universities submit their papers to the journals, and other researchers then peer-review the papers all for free. The paper then turns around and sells these researcher’s own work right back at them at astronomical prices! I’m not even going to analyze this using ethical theories, it is just too ridiculousness. Obviously it’s only the publisher getting anything out of this system. It’s time for a more web 2.0 approach to scientific publishing, reviewers can leave comments right on the paper then. I remember my co-op supervisor talking about something like this before too. I’m surprised that universities don’t already run their own databases like that for their own faculty’s work. I guess when papers are submitted to journals, the authors lose copyright so they can’t post it elsewhere? :/ I’m not sure, but if it is that is also the lamest thing ever.