SPARC honours OSA (19 . 01 . 2010)
SPARC honors Optical Society of America as a pioneer in
scholarly publishing innovation
Washington, D.C. -- With the launch of Optics Express in
1997, the Optical Society of America (OSA) created an open-access journal that
has stood the test of time to become a both a scientific and financial success.
The journal, now entering its second decade of publication, is consistently
ranked among the top titles in its field. And, it has proved to be such a
successful financial venture that the Society is this year rolling out three
more publications that follow the same open-access business model.
For being a shining example of community-driven
creativity and innovation in scholarly communications, the Optical Society of
America has been named the first SPARC Innovator of 2010. SPARC recognizes the
team at OSA that brought Optics Express into existence and nurtured its growth
and sustainability:
* Dr. Joseph Eberly, founding editor, Carnegie Professor
of Physics and Professor of Optics at the University of Rochester and director
of the Rochester Theory Center.
* Dr. Michael Duncan, second editor-in-chief, research
physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Bethesda, Maryland.
* Dr. Martijn de Sterke, current editor-in-chief,
professor in physics at the University of Sydney, Australia.
* Dr. John Childs, senior director of publications at OSA
in Washington, D.C.
Optics Express publishes original, peer-reviewed articles
in all fields of optical science and technology twice a month -- within an
average of 47 days after article acceptance. The quick turnaround, along with
creative ways to highlight content -- such as electronic cover images for every
issue and Focus issues -- have made Optics Express a sought-after publishing
destination for authors and a top journal in the field. OSA is introducing
three new journals under the Optics Express brand and publishing model over the
next year: Biomedical Optic Express, Optical Material Express and Energy
Express.
"Through the efforts of many people, we built
something very unique that came together," said Childs. "We use Optic
Express as a harbinger, a model for what I think is probably going to come to
pass."
"OSA's success with Optics Express is a testament to
the fact that Open Access can not only help accelarate the pace of scientific
communication, but can also be a viable, sustainable, commercial option,"
says SPARC Executive Director Heather Joseph.
"Initially, Optics Express was viewed as an
experiment, but it has become a highly regarded journal and a popular
destination for manuscripts," she said. "The financial success it has
achieved is just the icing on the cake."
Joseph added, "SPARC named Optics Express a Leading
Edge partner in 2004. It's our pleasure to be able to now name the publishers
of Optics Express as SPARC Innovators."
The January 2010 SPARC Innovator Profile is online at http://www.arl.org/sparc/innovator
The SPARC Innovator program recognizes advances in
scholarly communication propelled by an individual, institution, or group.
Typically, these advances exemplify SPARC principles by
challenging the status quo in scholarly communication for the benefit of
researchers, libraries, universities, and the public.
SPARC Innovators are featured on the SPARC Web site
semi-annually and have included Mike Rossner of the Rockefeller University
Press; R. Preston McAfee of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena;
Harvard University FAS; student leaders; Ted and Carl Bergstrom; Melissa
Hagemann of the Open Society Institute; the University of California; and
Herbert Van de Sompel of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. SPARC Innovators
are selected by the SPARC staff in consultation with the SPARC Steering
Committee.
Individuals can nominate their colleagues as potential
SPARC Innovators at http://www.arl.org/sparc/innovator/nominate.shtml.
For more information, see the SPARC Web site at http://www.arl.org/
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