The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, has reaffirmed its support for the current public access policy of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Contrary to recent news reports, AAAS does not endorse the Research Works Act, which would prevent the NIH from requiring its grantees to make biomedical research findings freely available via the National Library of Medicine's website.
According to Alan I. Leshner, AAAS Chief Executive Officer and Executive Publisher of Science, the current NIH public access policy provides an important mechanism for ensuring that the public has access to biomedical research findings. He further said the policy provides appropriate support for the intellectual property rights of publishers who have invested much in science communication.
AAAS, like many organisations, is a member of the Association of American Publishers, but it does not endorse all of the latter's policies or statements.
In addition to publishing Science, AAAS conducts an array of programmes in the fields of science diplomacy, science in the service of human rights, science education, science policy and ethics, and public engagement with science and technology.
Earlier this week, publishers Nature Publishing Group and Digital Science stated that they too did not support the Research Works Act.
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