April 1, 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 7)
URL:
http://www.biologists.com/web/index.html
Rating:
Strong Points: Intriguing idea
Weak Points: Nothing significant
Summary:
I like the tagline on this one—A charity run by biologists for biologists. The title is a bit misleading, inasmuch as the site provides online scientific research journals via the Open Access Initiative. As the site notes, authors can publish their work free of charge in a traditional publication format or by paying for a subscription-free format that provides visitors completely free access to the material. The site, from the descriptions, appears to be a bit of an experiment, and it sounds like a worthwhile one. Three journals are offered by the publisher: Development, Journal of Cell Science, and The Journal of Experimental Biology. The company also provides travel grants and fellowships of up to $4,000 to postdocs interested in collaborations with other laboratories.
