SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR EXPANDED ACCESS TO PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH
Endorse the Federal Research Public Access Act
About the bill:The bipartisan Federal Research Public Access bill would require that US Government agencies with annual extramural research expenditures over $100 million make electronic manuscripts of peer-reviewed journal articles that stem from their research freely available on the Internet. For details, see SPARC’s FAQ on the bill.
Why is it important to academe? This legislation will mean enhanced access to federally funded research articles for researchers and students at your institution. Availability of federally funded research in open online archives also will expand the worldwide visibility of the research conducted at your institution, increase the impact of your investment in this research, and aid you in examining related work at other institutions that compete for Government grants and contracts.
Support for the bill: See the growing list of higher education leaders who have voiced their support for the Federal Research Public Access bill. In addition, the Alliance for Taxpayer Access Web site lists some of the many other supporters of the Public Access bill – among them, all the major US national organizations of academic libraries plus student, patient, and consumer groups, and others.
Add your endorsementIf you are a top administrator of a higher education institution, add your name today to the list of supporters of the Federal Research Public Access Act.
| Statement of support for theFederal Research Public Access Act
Broad dissemination of research results is fundamental to the advancement of knowledge. For America’s taxpayers to obtain an optimal return on their investment in science, publicly funded research must be shared as broadly as possible. Yet too often, research results are not available to researchers, scientists, or the members of the public. Today, the Internet and digital technologies give us a powerful means of addressing this problem by removing access barriers and enabling new, expanded, and accelerated uses of research findings. We believe the US Government can and must act to ensure that all potential users have free and timely access on the Internet to peer-reviewed federal research findings. This will not only benefit the higher education community, but will ultimately magnify the public benefits of research and education by promoting progress, enhancing economic growth, and improving the public welfare. We support the Federal Research Public Access Act and urge its passage by the US Congress. |