Let's Make Those Book Chapters Open Too!

Philip E Bourne

doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002941

Abstract

Let's Make Those Book Chapters Open Too!

Highlights

The value of themed hardcover volumes and textbooks was understandable in a purely print era, an era during which we frequented the library more, which is where these volumes resided, being too expensive for individuals to purchase
Most of us have never made any money from writing specialized book chapters contributed to a volume, but would we pay a modest amount to have them published under an open–access license? This remains an open question at this time
PLOS met the cost of publishing Translational Bioinformatics, but if this approach to book chapters were to take off, someone will have to foot the bill

Summary

Introduction

The value of themed hardcover volumes and textbooks was understandable in a purely print era, an era during which we frequented the library more, which is where these volumes resided, being too expensive for individuals to purchase. Translational Bioinformatics, edited by Guest Editor Maricel Kann and Education Editor Fran Lewitter, is the first complete PLOS ‘‘book’’ that can be accessed online as individual chapters or downloaded as a complete volume [2]. The authors have had their hard work rewarded through a PLOS citation and greater accessibility to their work.

Results

Conclusion