Royal Society announces open-access journal

Science : The Royal Society announced that it will launch Royal Society Open Science, an online, open-access journal, later this year. That follows a similar announcement by the American Association for the Advancement of Science last week. The new journal will publish articles in the life and physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, and computer science. When authors submit papers to the journal, they will pay a fee, and articles will be freely available immediately on publication, a publishing model called “gold” open access. The Royal Society says it will publish all scientifically sound submissions, regardless of importance, and encourage postpublication commentary. The Royal Society publishes Philosophical Transactions, the oldest traditional scientific journal, but President Paul Nurse said it is important that the society evolve its publications along with the rest of the industry.