From: Stevan Harnad <[log in to unmask]> Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:35:40 -0400 > From: Ari Belenkiy <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:50:34 -0700 > > Despite his valuable personal recollections, Steven Harnad so far > failed to answer two my questions: > > 1. Why the EU research must be immediately open for the non-EU > researchers (who are not, in particularly, EU-taxpayers)? Because research is done and reported in order to be used, applied and built upon by other researchers -- not just those who can subscribe to the journal in which it appeared, or who live in the same country as the researcher. > 2. Why the EU taxpayers, who contribute different amounts in tax, must > have equal opportunities to access the results of the EU research? The primary purpose of providing OA is so that the primary intended users of the research (researchers worldwide) can use, apply and build upon it. Access by the interested public is a secondary bonus. > [Of course, EU could be substituted here for Britain or the US or > Russia or China or etc.] If you want your research findings to be confidential and restricted, you don't publish them at all. OA is for research published in peer-reviewed journals, for all potential users. The journal price-tag is an access-restrictor. Stevan Harnad