AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

Electronic Publishing in Science
Seizing the Moment: Scientists' Authorship Rights in the Digital Age

Final Report

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Executive Summary

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This new report is the result of a AAAS project that examined intellectual property issues associated with electronic publishing in science. The emergence of electronic journals in scientific publication has the potential to transform the management and communication of scientific information, and stakeholders associated with scientific publishing are engaged in assessing their promises and pitfalls. What seems clear is that electronic publication is not likely to reach its full potential without a stable legal framework that balances the protection of researchers' intellectual property with the open dissemination and exchange of scientific information.

The report of the project describes the challenges that advances in information technology pose for intellectual property law, and identifies a set of "core values" that should be embedded in a system of scientific publishing. Those core values can serve as a basis for defining a common ground on which all stakeholders can build new publishing systems and legal frameworks. The report recommends new patterns of licensing that will enable scientists and scientific publishers to build a publishing system that will promote broad access to and use of scientific information, all within existing copyright law. Guidelines for authors and publishers are offered for preparing licensing agreements. The report was prepared by AAAS with the assistance of a diverse group of experts representing the range of backgrounds and perspectives participating in ongoing debates about the future of scientific publishing.

The project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

For more information, contact Mark Frankel.

• Developing Practices and Standards for Electronic Publishing in Science
• Defining and Certifying Electronic Publication in Science