Via Martin Fenner and Bjorn Brembs this news… a press release from Nature Publishing Group announcing “Scientific Reports” :
An online, open access, peer-reviewed publication, Scientific Reports will publish research covering the natural sciences – biology, chemistry, earth sciences and physics. Scientific Reports is accepting submissions from today, and will publish its first articles in June 2011. More information is available on the Scientific Reports website (www.nature.com/scientificreports).
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Is this the same Nature Publishing Group that last year crapped all over PLoS One in an editorial by Declan Butler provocatively entitled ‘PLoS One Stays Afloat with Bulk Publishing’, echoing ugly whispers in the scientific establishment that PLoS One would be a dumping ground for data that couldn’t get published anywhere else for a myriad of reasons. Guess the release of PLoS One’s impact factor (somewhere above 4… 4.4 or 4.3 I think I read) in early 2010 probably made some people re-think their assumption that it was a final resting place that people would pay to deposit their trash data. NPG’s new model appears to be nearly identical to that of PLoS One, publication fee and all. (BTW I now hear grad students going around saying stuff in the vein of ‘we shouldn’t publish in Journal XYZ… ? It’s OPEN ACCESS.’ They picked that drivel up somewhere- and are repeating it without even knowing what open access means or why they think it is bad. )
Anyway- about the Nature “Scientific Reports” thing- I’d say this is not just a good indication that PLoS One is doing something right (a la Martin Fenner)- it is an indication that PLoS, and PLoS One* in particular, have changed the paradigm that was scientific publishing in a rather radical way. I hope the champagne corks are popping in San Fransisco this Friday. Congratulations PLoS One, and welcome NPG to the future of scientific publishing- just follow PLoS One and they will show you the way.
*Disclaimer: I’ve been an out-of-the-closet lover of the PLoS One publishing model for several years, I have papers there, I know some editorial board members, and I’ve been an unabashed groupie of Pete Binfield since I saw him speak at scio10.
Blue Lab Coats 
Nature just sees a new way to make money. But still, more OA is good.
oh yeah. that Butler thing was a piece of work, wasn’t it?
http://scienceblogs.com/drugmonkey/2008/07/nature_offers_a_completely_obj.php
This is why NPG continues to entertain us….
DM- I’m still peeved about it- it was just over the top.
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As I only have the one groupie I feel compelled to correct the spelling of my name so I have a chance of getting more!!
Pete Binfield 🙂
Interestingly enough, as a grad student, i feel really awful when I have to submit to a closed journal, as it means that a) i lose most of my copyright over the work and b) my work will only be seen by those fortunate enough to have institutional subscriptions.
Personally, i think its immoral for Elvesier et al to profit from the free labour of scientists all over the world, and whether or not you agree with the immorality, its holding progress in research back.
Pete- OMG so sorry. What can I say…I must hone my groupie skillz, since I’m obviously a beginner. I suppose that means no more PLoS One schwag…
I have been a PLoS ONE academic editor since early on, and it has been a great fucken experience! And yeah, Pete is da’ man!
As a prof at a PUI that can’t afford access to every journals, I am SO HAPPY to hear of more open access journals. Woohoo!
I’d love to know how that first conversation about creating an open access journal went.
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53 fucking days. That’s how long it’s taken a poxy IF 9 journal to review a fucking paper. I’m submitting everything to PloS One from now on. Even this double-whammy cure for cancer and baldness I just stumbled upon is going in there. The publishing industry is wank.
Well DSKS- I’m not sure PLoS One will be that much faster… I think they’ve seen a deluge of manuscripts since their IF came out. My own manuscript submitted in August is just coming out this month. !!! Crazy. In general though- I’m in complete agreement with you….