This commentary on Joseph Y. Halperns proposal for a computing research repository discusses difference in traditions and practices
of online publishing and repositories between computing and biomedicals ciences. Issues of accessibility and archiving are also discussed.
Most biomedical peer-reviewed journal publishers today follow two policies that signi¢cantly a¡ect how information is disseminated: reject redundant (or duplicate) publications and embargo information until the day of publication. Electronic information technology has created communication methods that far exceed the traditional paper journal for scientists communicating with peers, the media, and the public. These electronic methods (e.g. the Web and on-line archives) con£ict with the publishers' policies regarding redundant publication and embargoed information. However, the biomedical publishing world is changing very rapidly as a result of many forces, including scientists themselves, libraries, budgets, and technology. This paper notes recent changes in publications policies, the rami¢cations of these policies for di¡erent audiences, and future directions for biomedical scholarly publishing.
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