NEWS RELEASE
September 25, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Nancy Winchester
Publications Director
nancyw@aspb.org
301-251-0560 ext. 117
American Society of Plant Biologists

Crispin Taylor
Executive Director
ctaylor@aspb.org
301-251-0560 ext. 115
American Society of Plant Biologists

Real-Time Plant Physiology: ASPB Extends “Open Access” Benefit for Members Who Publish in Society’s Founding Journal

ROCKVILLE, MD -- The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) announces a groundbreaking new benefit for members of the Society who publish research papers in Plant Physiology, the most highly cited plant biology journal in the world. Beginning with the January 2007 issue, research articles corresponded by ASPB members will be made Open Access immediately upon publication at no additional charge. This bold initiative in novel approaches to scholarly publishing makes ASPB members’ articles in Plant Physiology fully and freely accessible from the moment of publication to anyone with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world. “Open Access ensures the free flow of information and full participation of the world community in scientific endeavors,” said Don Ort, Editor-in-Chief of Plant Physiology. “In addition, Open Access represents a significant benefit for authors, as it will almost certainly drive higher impact and citation of their papers by accelerating recognition and dissemination of research findings.”

ASPB President Mike Thomashow stated that "As I pointed out in my commentary in the ASPB News, Open Access presents a real challenge for an organization like ours that relies significantly on subscription fees to carry out the important functions of the Society. Nevertheless, we are very excited about this innovative membership-based Open Access publication model. ASPB can launch Real-Time Plant Physiology because of the Society's unique business model: Plant Physiology is bundled into one competitively priced library subscription with The Plant Cell, the top-ranked research journal in the plant sciences." ASPB will also continue to offer the option of purchasing Open Access status for all Plant Cell authors as well as non-member Plant Physiology authors.

Also beginning with the January 2007 issue, ASPB member corresponding authors of Plant Physiology research articles will receive one free color image in their printed paper, and all Plant Physiology authors can choose to have some or all of their figures appear in color in the online version of the article, free of charge. These two new benefits will be added to existing benefits enjoyed by ASPB members, which include free electronic access to Society journals Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell, discounted page charges for papers published in both journals, discounted registration fees for ASPB meetings, and significant discounts on laboratory reagents and scientific literature from several major suppliers and publishers. Visit the Society website at www.aspb.org for a full list of member benefits.

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Related Articles

Editorials by Plant Physiology Editor-in-Chief Don Ort:
Ort, D. (2006). RT-Plant Physiology: Full Open Access Publishing at No Charge to ASPB Members. Plant Physiol. 142: 5 (http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/142/1/5).
Ort, D. (2006). ADD COLOR! Plant Physiol. 141: 1163 (http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/141/4/1163).

Commentary by ASPB President Mike Thomashow:
Thomashow, M. (July/August 2006). ASPB in an Open Access World. ASPB News 33(4): 1 (http://www.aspb.org/newsletter/julaug06/01pl0706.cfm)