STM publisher Elsevier has announced a new sharing and hosting policy for Elsevier journal articles on April 30, 2015. The policy represents a significant obstacle to the dissemination and use of research knowledge, and creates unnecessary barriers for Elsevier published authors in complying with funders' open access policies. In addition, the policy has been adopted without any evidence that immediate sharing of articles has a negative impact on publisher's subscriptions.
Despite Elsevier's claim that the policy advances sharing, it actually does the opposite. The policy imposes unacceptably long embargo periods of up to 48 months for some journals. It also requires authors to apply a 'non-commercial and no derivative works' licence for each article deposited into a repository, greatly inhibiting the re-use value of these articles. Any delay in the open availability of research articles curtails scientific progress and places unnecessary constraints on delivering the benefits of research back to the public.
The policy applies to 'all articles previously published and those published in the future' making it even more punitive for both authors and institutions. This may also lead to articles that are currently available being suddenly embargoed and inaccessible to readers.
As organisations committed to the principle that access to information advances discovery, accelerates innovation and improves education, they support the adoption of policies and practices that enable the immediate, barrier free access to and reuse of scholarly articles. The policy is in direct conflict with the global trend towards open access and serves only to dilute the benefits of openly sharing research results.
