SciDev.Net
Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Definitions
List of terms for Science publishing
Scientific information is crucial for a variety of stakeholders, but communicating science poses a challenge for all.
P
Page charges
In print publishing, a charge sometimes incurred by the authors for each page of their research paper. Some journals operate a voluntary page-charge policy while others don't use this system at all. Page charges, like figure charges (see above), are intended to cover publishing costs.
Pay-per-view
A means of accessing a paper in an online academic journal whereby users buy the right to view a single paper instead of purchasing an entire journal issue or subscription. Some journals, such as Science, sell the right to access papers for 24 hours. Others sell the right to download them for indefinite use.
Peer review
A method of quality control used by most academic journals whereby a paper is assessed by other researchers in the same field before it is accepted for publication. Most open-access initiatives support the use of peer review. Preprints, however, are sometimes placed on the web before they are peer reviewed.
Postprint
An edition of a text produced after it has first appeared in print. This usually means it has been peer reviewed and revised.
[Source: Guide to the open access movement [link: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/guide.htm], Peter Suber]
Preprint
A version of a paper which appears, generally as an online posting, before the final peer-reviewed, revised paper is published. Preprints may be produced anywhere along the publishing process, from unreviewed and unrevised to both reviewed and revised but not yet printed.
Producer-pays model
A financial model for academic publishing whereby the producer of scientific information pays for it to be published (see 'Author fees' above). This contrasts with the user-pays model (see below) in which the user of scientific information pays for access by purchasing a journal article, issue or subscription.
Publication charges
See 'Author fees'.
Information Services
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Daily insights from the tenth public communication of science conference in Sweden
