Expanding the possibilities of open access to scientific articles is a way of facilitating and accelerating the progress of knowledge. The statement was made this Friday (31) by the scientific director of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz. According to him, the topic is so important that it has been the subject of an international movement. “Fapesp was a pioneer in this sense when it launched, in 1997, Scielo [Scientific Electronic Library Online], a repository that today houses around 200 scientific journals published in Brazil”, he recalled.
Fapesp's initiative, continued Brito, had positive effects in various parts of the world. Several countries in Latin America, Europe and Africa have also formulated policies to encourage the expansion of open access. “In Brazil, universities and institutions, including Capes [Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel], are participating in this effort,” he reported. And there is only one reason for this movement. Researchers know that the easier communication between them is, the more science can advance.
There is also another important reason to make science more accessible, as Brito pointed out. “It is also essential to create an opportunity for the taxpayer, who finances the research, in every country in the world, to have access to the results whenever they want, in whatever way they want.” Fapesp, according to its scientific director, has been encouraging, since 2009, the availability of scientific articles in institutional repositories.
The matter was discussed with the main universities in São Paulo, all of which organized their repositories. “From this moment on, Fapesp established the obligation that every article produced with its funding must be made available in an institutional repository, following the rules established by the magazine that published it. An important aspect to highlight is that Fapesp does not interfere in the researcher's choice of the journal in which they will publish. This decision is exclusively his. Once the article is accepted for publication, simply check the rule, comply with it and register it in the repository”, he explained.
