Paying for scientific papers

I was reading a thread in the Physics forum and BentheMan posted the following link to some physics papers slac.stanford.edu/spires/...hita+and+a+nio which got me thinking. How do people feel about paying to see scientific publications?

I noticed in Ben’s site, a good number of papers could be viewed for free, but I work the genetics field, and my main source for papers is PubMed where almost every paper you have to buy for the standard fee of $30. I think it’s a scam for websites to charge a fee for papers they publish.

I get the feeling the majority of users here run into this problem once in a while, and wanted to get some thoughts on the topic.

 

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I'm with you! It pains me so much not having access to http://www.jstor.org/

 

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jerks at www.science.com do that as well.

 

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These sites you're complaining about are services, no? If you don't like them, why not browse the sources instead (i.e. the journals)?

 

Journals aren't free either, as Orleander has noted.

Open source science is the wave of the future. It's not quite ready for primetime yet though.

Free beer!

 

I have access to jstor and many others.

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What about after you graduate?

 

Well, I am willing to pay for some works done, simply because i know that there is not a public market for them and the researcher needs funding or some form of income.
In end the work they do is actually important but society has no vision to see the importance of the work. what happens in the end is that others take their work or ideas, and make some other application for which they benfit, but the resercher that paved the road for society is unknown and with out benefit or even mention.
When you actually make a discovery you have to exspose it, and thats how people and society get better. the discoverer deserves some benefit, however it becomes all to common for people to forget that they got better because of someone else's dedication.

it takes some time ,maybe even years to actually do the work that results in a discovery that results in makeing life for people and society better, or providing a correct understanding for society and people. To spend that type of time requires a income, that you be rich, or that you have funding from some insitution or group, few people are so dedicated that they give up any stablity, or well being to achieve their science.

You have to remember that you are actually reciving something from some one when you get that paper, it may change your life, it took time to produce that idea.

Not every thing is what you need,some papers are of no value to you or may be a misconception in relation to other circumstances, scientist also have a obligation to society as they did not achieve their understanding to make a discovery under self education. those that do are few.

In the end advancement of society and life requires a certain openness and free flow of information.

DwayneD.L.Rabon

 

How do you know I'm not a professor or lecturer?


Real answer: Won't be for a while at my pace.

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funny
i wanted to do thread on this but then .....we pay one way or another to go to college
we have to pay
pay our intellectuals
just can a bomb or two
so ed can be free and universal

do it before i burn the temples down

 

a blatant and unapologetic display of ignorance?

 

And that is a trait unobserved in lecturers/professors?

Idiot.

 

yes
unobserved
exceptions do not make the rule
the trait is intellect rather than not

quack

 

Of course. But I understood the OP's complaint to be about paying for scientific papers per se, so what's the problem with PubMed and JSTOR?

 

well I get free access to those...hehehhee...

 

I get free access to the Cochrane Library paid for by the federal goverment

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I get access to any scientific papers online for free, courtesy of my university

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yea so can i but the whole COUNTRY has access to Cochrane if they want it. Infact from reading through what countries have and havent provided subscriptions for there citizans i think the only country that hasnt is the US

 

well I am in US.

 

And Cochrane is health care info, I need it not.