Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics: A Brief Introduction for the non-Expert

TL;DR

The paper discusses the shift towards Open Access publishing in particle physics, highlighting its history, current developments like SCOAP3, and implications for the future of scholarly communication in the field.

Contribution

It provides an overview of the evolution of Open Access in particle physics and introduces SCOAP3 as a promising model for sustainable open publishing.

Findings

90% of HEP literature is freely available online

Libraries are canceling journal subscriptions due to open access availability

SCOAP3 could address funding issues for peer review

Abstract

Open Access to particle physics literature does not sound particularly new or exciting, since particle physicists have been reading preprints for decades, and arXiv.org for 15 years. However new movements in Europe are attempting to make the peer-reviewed literature of the field fully Open Access. This is not a new movement, nor is it restricted to this field. However, given the field's history of preprints and eprints, it is well suited to a change to a fully Open Access publishing model. Data shows that 90% of HEP published literature is freely available online, meaning that HEP libraries have little need for expensive journal subscriptions. As libraries begin to cancel journal subscriptions, the peer review process will lose its primary source of funding. Open Access publishing models can potentially address this issue. European physicists and funding agencies are proposing a consortium, SCOAP3, that might solve many of the objections to traditional Open Access publishing models in Particle Physics. These proposed changes should be viewed as a starting point for a serious look at the field's publication model, and are at least worthy of attention, if not adoption.