Apologies for cross-posting. The following press release will be of
interest to your listserv members. Further information can be found at
www.nar.oupjournals.org/openaccess.

Release Date: Saturday 26th June 2004

Oxford Journals takes bold step towards free access to research

Oxford Journals, a Division of Oxford University Press (OUP), announced
today that its flagship journal Nucleic Acids Research (NAR) is to move to a
full 'Open Access' (OA) publishing model from January 2005. This represents
a significant step towards maximum dissemination of scholarly research, a
core part of OUP's mission as a leading University-owned Press.

NAR will adopt a mandatory OA model whereby authors pay a fee once their
paper has been accepted, and all articles published online are immediately
available without charge.

NAR is a highly respected journal, listed by ISI as one of the top ten
'hottest' journals of the decade in biology and biochemistry (1), and with a
world-renowned editorial team. It has been published under a subscription
model for 32 years and includes around 1000 original research papers per
year, making NAR the first journal of such stature to make a complete switch
from a subscription to OA model.

"Open Access is undoubtedly the most debated topic in scholarly publishing
at the moment. To fulfil our role as a University Press we felt a
responsibility to the scholarly communities we represent to explore it as a
viable publishing model," explained Martin Richardson, Managing Director of
Oxford Journals. "Our year-long experiments with a small part of NAR have
allowed us to consult authors, readers, and librarians on their views and
also to monitor results. So our decision to take NAR to a full Open Access
model is based on solid research, and a clear desire for such a move by this
part of the academic community."

The OA model being adopted for NAR has been designed to address various
concerns raised in the OA debate thus far, as well as to safeguard the
quality and financial viability of the journal. The model, which includes a
mixture of author charges, institutional memberships and print
subscriptions, as well as significantly lower (or no) charges for authors in
developing countries, will mean that no author is prevented from publishing
in NAR for financial reasons. However, depending on the degree to which
authors across the globe become better funded in the future to pay OA
charges, the proportion of publishing costs which can be covered by author
charges should be able to rise accordingly.

"We felt it was very important that we listened to our institutional
customers as well as the NAR author base in order to get this initiative
right," commented Richard Gedye, Sales Director at Oxford Journals. "We
instigated talks with a wide-ranging and international group of senior
academic librarians, and talked through several potential models which we
were considering for NAR. Their feedback and desire to support the journal
in its transition encouraged us to adopt a model where buying institutional
memberships would keep the cost of author charges low enough to maximise the
chances of NAR's long term success as an Open Access journal. "

"I both support and endorse this move," commented Richard Roberts, a Senior
Editor for NAR, and a past Nobel Prize winner. "Open Access is the future
of scientific publication and one that we should all work hard to make
successful. Every scientist can help by embracing the concept of Open
Access and supporting journals as they attempt to make it the norm."

"This decision is a bold one for OUP and not without its short-term
complexities," continued Richardson, "but we're pleased to be in a position
to take this step. As a financially successful University Press, we have the
resources and the motivation to undertake these kinds of initiatives.
Ultimately we believe that Open Access represents the best way to meet the
changing needs of authors and readers, at least in this particular area, but
we will continue to monitor the impact of our decision, listening to all
communities involved in order to respond appropriately in the future."

END

For further information please contact:
Rachel Goode
Communications Manager
Oxford Journals
Oxford University Press
Tel: +44 1865 353388
Mobile: +44 7957 491505
Email: [log in to unmask]

Notes to Editors:

Previous releases relating to this announcement:
* New Open Access initiative from Oxford Journals - August 2003
http://www3.oup.co.uk/jnls/press/2003/08/07/index.html
* OUP 'Open Access experiment - first results encouraging, next phase
announced - February 2004
http://www3.oup.co.uk/jnls/press/2004/02/18/index.html

More information about the results collected, and the details of the OA
publishing model to be used for NAR can be found at
www.nar.oupjournals.org/openaccess.

For a digital copy of the author charge diagram, please contact Rachel Goode
(available in 4 colour, mono, portrait and landscape).

Oxford University Press (OUP) is the world's largest and most international
of university presses. It publishes more than 4,500 new books a year, has a
presence in over fifty countries, and employs some 3,700 people worldwide.
It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing programme
that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music,
school and college textbooks, children's books, materials for teaching
English as a foreign language, business books, dictionaries and reference
books, and journals.

Oxford Journals publishes 184 journals covering a broad range of subject
areas, two-thirds of which are published in collaboration with learned
societies and other international organisations. The collection contains
some of the world's most prestigious titles, including Nucleic Acids
Research, JNCI (Journal of the National Cancer Institute), Brain, Human
Reproduction, English Historical Review, and the Review of Financial
Studies. A full list of the journals and subjects covered can be found at
the Oxford Journals web site (www.oupjournals.org).


1. Source: Science Watch (May/June 2003) Essential Science Indicators -
High-Impact Journals in 9 Fields, Ranked by Citations Per Paper, 1992-2002
(Among non-review journals that published continuously, January 1992 to
December 2002