Funding scientific Open Access
Today, most publishers quote a price in the range of 1,000-2,000 € per published article. On this basis, it is estimated that the annual budget for the transition of HEP publishing to OA would amount to a maximum of 10 M€/year, sensibly lower than the estimated global expenditure in subscription to HEP journals. Each SCOAP3 partner will finance its contribution by canceling journal subscriptions. Each country will contribute according to its share of HEP publishing. The transition to OA will be facilitated by the fact that the large majority of HEP articles are published in just six peer-reviewed journals. Of course, the SCOAP3 model is open to any, present or future, highquality HEP journal aiming at a dynamic market with healthy competition and broader choice. HEP funding agencies and libraries are currently signing “Expressions of Interest” for the financial backing of the consortium. A tendering procedure will then take place. Provided that SCOAP3 funding partners are prepared to engage in long-term commitments, many publishers are expected to be ready to enter into negotiations. The example of SCOAP3 could be rapidly followed by other fields, directly related to HEP, such as nuclear physics or astro-particle physics, also similarly compact and organized with a reasonable number of journals.
Benefits of SCOAP3 The SCOAP3 model will initiate a significant shift of paradigm for the dissemination of results from scientific research, with new benefits and clearly defined roles for all stake-holders in the publication process: ✦
Readers will benefit from unrestricted access to all relevant literature in their field of research.
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Authors will benefit from a wider dissemination of their results, thus from better opportunities for recognition and career evolution. Their transition to OA will be transparent: they can continue to publish in the 83