A visible Editorial Board for a visible EPL

EPL has still a modest impact factor [IF], only occasionally above 3 in connection with high-temperature and iron-based superconductors. This is too low when compared with the high quality of most EPL papers. It is fair to say that the IF does not really measure the impact of a journal but rather its visibility. The impact of a journal is measured by the scientific progress that has resulted from its papers, e.g., by the number of papers, which led to a Nobel Prize. Today visibility is nevertheless something a journal cannot do without, due to the growing background noise of hundreds of journals, often insignificant. It is the lack of visibility which leaves many remarkable papers written by…

EAS’s recommendations on Open Access

The European Astronomical Society [EAS] published a report entitled “Exploring the road to Open Access Publishing”. The report examines many aspects of open access with regard to publishing in the domain of astronomy, and provides 6 recommendations.
The EAS report explores the benefits and limitations of open access publication. The recurrent and main concern is the financial uncertainty arising from the transition from the traditional system and open access publication.
The conclusions of the report underline the importance of informing the members of the scientific community…

Results of EC consultation on scientific publishing

The European Commission has published the results of its ‘Consultation on scientific information in the digital age’. The survey generated much interest, with 1,140 responses received from 42 different countries. The European Physical Society provided input into the consultation in September last year.

The survey noted a general desire for better access to scientific publications; the vast majority of respondents believing that publications and data resulting from publically funded research should be made open access. In addition…