Who, What and Why?

Each issue of Open Access Now will contain a short guide to the players, stakeholders and technical terms relevant to Open Access publishing."WHAT, WHO and WHY" will help readers to become informed about the world of Open Access.

WHAT is BioMed Central?
BioMed Central is an independent publisher of biomedical and clinical journals and information services. It publishes more than 90 peer-reviewed Open Access journals.

Its first entirely Open Access journals were the BMC series, 57 titles that cover all of the major biomedical disciplines.

BioMed Central also has a growing list of specialist Open Access journals edited by academic scientists. These journals are editorially independent, but BioMed Central provides the publishing system and technical expertise.

Journal of Biology is BioMed Central's flagship title. Edited by Martin Raff, it publishes biological research articles of exceptional interest and importance, with associated commentary. Genome Biology, Arthritis Research & Therapy, Critical Care and Breast Cancer Research publish Open Access research articles together with subscription-access reviews and comment. BioMedCentral is also the publisher of Faculty of 1000, a literature awareness service.

WHO is behind BioMed Central?
BioMed Central is part of the Current Science Group - a group of independent companies. Current Science Group Chairman Vitek Tracz has a long history in publishing, having started the Current Opinion journals, Current Biology and BioMedNet, for example. BioMed Central's senior management team also has substantial expertise. Publisher Jan Velterop and Editorial Director Peter Newmark have between them worked in senior roles for Academic Press, Nature and Current Biology. An Editorial Directorate of some of the world's most respected scientists and clinicians, including Steven Hyman, Sir Paul Nurse and Harold Varmus, oversee the editorial and scientific integrity of BioMed Central.

WHY does BioMed Central exist?
BioMed Central was established as an online Open Access publisher in May 2000 in response to the opportunities offered by new technologies, and to a strong feeling among scientists that the way research results are published must change. It was felt that open access to research is central to rapid and efficient progress in science. Harold Varmus had proposed a central full-text repository that evolved into PubMed Central. Many other researchers joined his attempt to redefine the economics of publishing - leading to the formation of the Public Library of Science and inspiring BioMed Central.

www.biomedcentral.com