Making the switch to open access has consequences for the way in
which peer reviewing is organised. Cambridge is one of the first to
follow the recent advice from the 'Finch Group', a report mapping
out the route towards a 'golden open access model'.
The Finch document
Accessibility, Sustainability, Excellence: How to Expand Access to
Research Publications thinks that government should perform a
pivotal role, demanding that publicly financed research be made
broadly accessible.
Cambridge has established the Forum of Mathematics to offer OA
journals to the mathematics community with the same high levels of
peer review process as traditional subscription journals, with
peer-review standards set by an international editorial board of
the highest calibre.
Waive publication costs
For the first three years Cambridge University Press will waive
publication costs, though authors with access to specific funds for
OA publication will be encouraged to pay a low charge of
£500/$750.
This project has been under development for two years and
Cambridge has earmarked significant investment to provide OA models
to disciplines that do not enjoy a funding tradition similar to the
life and biomedical sciences.
Managing Editor, Professor Rob Kirby, said on the Cambridge
University website: "The traditional journal subscription model is
under pressure, owing to high costs and a lack of open
access. It is great that Cambridge is leading the way by
starting high-quality open access journals and underwriting the
costs for an initial three year period. "
Support from the top names in mathematics
Professor Tim Gowers, a founding member of the editorial board
is delighted to support the venture. "We urgently need new ways of
disseminating mathematics that are appropriate for the internet age
but that preserve what we value in the present system. The Forum of
Mathematics is a very promising experiment in that direction, and I
shall do what I can to help it to succeed."
Managing Director of Cambridge Journals Simon Ross
said: "We're excited that this project has attracted the
support of the top names in mathematics. Our commitment is to
publish the best research in the discipline and in order to do this
we need to provide a range of publishing models. The crucial
element for this project is that we are providing stability for the
early years to build a sustainable model. Investment is a
sufficient condition for this aim but quality is the necessity, and
that is where we are all agreed."
Available from 2013
The Forum of Mathematics journals will be hosted on Cambridge's
industry leading platform, Cambridge Journals Online (CJO). Content
will be available online from the beginning of 2013. All articles
will be handled according to the highest standards of peer-review
and produced to the high quality production values associated with
Cambridge University Press. Strong research papers from all
parts of mathematics will be welcomed. Pi will be the home for
papers of the broadest interest and Sigma the home for more
specialised articles.