NEWS
_________________________ January/February 2006 – Number 29
Summary of Contents

• Licensing the Blackwell Collection of Online Journals
• Journals Transferring to Blackwell for 2006
• Newly Launched Journals Free Online for 2006
• Journals No Longer Published by Blackwell in 2006
• Update on Journal Name Changes
• Update on Legacy Back Files
• More Free Content on Blackwell Synergy
• Journal of Fish Biology Supplementary Issues
• 2004 Impact Factors - Increases from A to Z (that’s Allergy to Zoology)
• New Members join Blackwell’s Library Advisory Board
• First Online Open Articles Published
• Developing Countries’ Access to Information for Life
• Blackwell Publishing exhibiting at ALA Midwinter Conference

Licensing the Blackwell Collection of Online Journals

Licensing access to Blackwell Publishing’s Collection of online journals represents the best value for money for multidisciplinary institutions and library consortia wishing to provide the greatest breadth of content to their faculty, researchers and students, both on campus and off. Your library’s serials collection will be enriched with online access to over 750 high quality peer-reviewed journals across a broad range of subject areas from over 500 of the world’s leading scholarly and professional societies.

Collections available for 2006:

• Full Collection – 758 journals
• Science, Technology and Medicine Collection – 401 journals
• Social Science and Humanities Collection – 357 journals
• Medicine and Nursing Collection – 222 journals

The full list of journals available in each Collection is available here: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/librarians/2006_titles.xls

Top Journals in their Fields

• Blackwell Publishing journals are at the core of the scholarly community with two-thirds published on behalf of not-for-profit societies and membership associations.
• 432 Blackwell journals are listed in the 2004 ISI Citation Index, with an average impact factor of 1.600 overall (higher than any other publisher).
• 61% of Blackwell journals increased their impact factor for 2004.
• Blackwell Publishing journals are represented in 153 subject categories of the 2004 ISI Citation Index, with 90 journals in the top 10 for their field and 20 ranked Number 1.
• The scope and quality of the journals continues to grow to meet the distinct and changing needs of the disciplines they serve, with more than 20% publishing extra content in 2006.

Fair and Transparent Pricing

• Existing subscriptions must be maintained under the terms of the Collection license, but they may be converted to online-only.
• Each institution pays a ‘top-up’ fee which is banded according to the number of FTEs (Full Time Equivalent).
• Consortia pay an annual administration fee which can be distributed among the participating institutions.
• Institutions typically make savings from reduced inter-library loan and shelving costs.
• More than 40 journals transferring to Blackwell Publishing in 2006 are included in the Collection. Institutions should also maintain their existing subscriptions to these titles.
• Journals five years old and under are not included in the Collection and should be subscribed to separately.
• The Collection licensing deal is for one year only and is renewable annually.

Clear and Generous Licensing Terms

• Access includes all available recent back files, i.e. those published since January 1st 1997.
• Access includes current issues plus OnlineEarly where articles are published online before print (available for 200 journals).
• Access includes perpetual archival rights to paid-for content (where Blackwell retains the rights to deliver this).
• Walk-in users are permitted.
• Course-pack use is permitted.
• Inter-Library Loan from the electronic copy is permitted.
• Unlimited access through IP authentication, Athens, or remote username and password is permitted.
• COUNTER-compliant usage data is available.

Access is provided through Blackwell Synergy, the highly popular linked and searchable online journals platform with over one million registered users.
www.blackwell-synergy.com

If you would like more information about licensing the Blackwell Publishing Collection, please contact your Account Manager: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/librarians/talktous.asp or email journal.news@blackwellpublishing.com

Journals Transferring to Blackwell for 2006

We are pleased to announce that more than 50 journals have chosen to join Blackwell Publishing for 2006. They include the five journals of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies, the four International Communication Association journals, and the 182-year-old Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Around 25 journals are moving from self-publishing arrangements through societies and the remainder are transferring to Blackwell from other publishing companies.

Link to the Press Release announcing these journals: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/press/pressitem.asp?ref=569&site=1

Subscriptions to these journals are available at either our usual Standard, Premium and Online-only rates or just at Premium and Online-only – please see the table below for more information. Most transfer journals are included in the Blackwell Publishing Collections. Institutions with licensed access to the Collections are required to maintain their subscriptions to these journals.

All of these journals will be available on Blackwell Synergy (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com) from the first issue of 2006.

Newly Launched Journals Free Online for 2006

Seven new journals for new research areas are being launched by Blackwell Publishing in 2006. Perspectives on Psychological Science is included with subscriptions to the journal Psychological Science. All of the other new journals are available completely free online throughout this year. Please do encourage members of your institution to access the journals and try them out on Blackwell Synergy (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com).

If you would like any more information, please contact journal.news@blackwellpublishing.com.

Journals No Longer Published by Blackwell in 2006

The following journals will no longer be published by Blackwell in 2006. Please see below for information about where to purchase the journals in 2006.

Update on Journal Name Changes

Please note that the following journals have changed their names or merged for 2006:

Update on Legacy Back Files

In the last issue of this newsletter we provided some information about Blackwell’s Legacy Back Files project. We are digitizing a selection of Blackwell Publishing journals back to Volume 1, Issue 1. These will be available for purchase on a title by title basis or as a package of titles. Discounts will be available for larger purchases and for multiple sites.

We had intended to make an announcement of the list of journals and the pricing before the end of 2005. However, the launch date for the project has been delayed while we consult with the societies for whom we publish. We plan to announce the first list of journals with Legacy Back Files available to purchase within the next few months. We do apologize for any inconvenience caused by this delay.

Please register your interest in the Legacy Back Files with your Blackwell Publishing Account Manager or by contacting journal.news@blackwellpublishing.com.

More Free Content on Blackwell Synergy

We are pleased to inform you that several leading journals from Blackwell Publishing provide free access to the recent back files already online after a period of time, as outlined below. This offer does not, in most cases, include Legacy Back Files which will be digitized and made available for purchase.

The free content is available by accessing the journal on Blackwell Synergy: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com.

Journal of Fish Biology Supplementary Issues

We are pleased to announce the launch of four special Molecular Sciences supplementary issues within the Journal of Fish Biology from 2006. These Molecular Sciences supplementary issues will feature papers on molecular biology, genetics, taxonomy, biochemistry and immunology and will be edited by Professor Norman McLean. The first supplement will accompany the March 2006 issue of the journal.

Libraries are also reminded that Journal of Fish Biology issues back to 1993 are now available through Blackwell Synergy. Issues back to the first volume of Journal of Fish Biology will also shortly be available.

2004 Impact Factors - Increases from A to Z (that’s Allergy to Zoology)

The 2004 ISI Impact Factors, released in the summer of 2005, once again demonstrate the breadth, depth and quality of the journals from Blackwell Publishing. Following is a brief overview of some key highlights.

Blackwell titles are top ranked by Impact Factor in 20 ISI subject categories. The Number 1 ranked journals according to the 2004 ISI Citation Index are:

• Acta Crystallographica Section B - Structural Science (Crystallography);
• Addiction (Substance Abuse);
• American Journal of Transplantation (Transplantation);
• Animal Genetics (Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science);
• Birth – Issues in Perinatal Care (Nursing);
• Econometrica (Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods);
• Global Change Biology (Environmental Sciences;
• Governance – An International Journal of Policy and Administration (Public Administration);
• Indoor Air (Construction & Building Technology);
• Industrial Relations (Industrial Relations & Labor);
• Journal of Finance (Business, Finance);
• Journal of Investigative Dermatology (Dermatology);
• Journal of Pineal Research (Anatomy & Morphology);
• Journal of Social Issues (Social Issues);
• Journal of Urban Affairs (Urban Studies);
• Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development (Psychology, Developmental).
• Value in Health (Health Policy & Services + Health Care Sciences & Services);

Comparing the performance of a publisher’s list as a whole, Blackwell’s performance places it 2nd by the number of top ranked journals, well above such publishers as Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, Nature, OUP, Lippincott, Sage, and CUP.

This performance is even more impressive when you consider that the Blackwell list only constitutes 5% of the entire journal coverage of the ISI citation indexes.

In addition to the 20 top ranking titles, Blackwell is the dominant publisher in 20 different disciplines, publishing the largest proportion of journal articles in such diverse areas as:
Agricultural Economics & Policy; Allergy; Biodiversity Conservation; Crystallography; Dermatology; Ecology; Evolutionary Biology; Family Studies; Gastroenterology & Hepatology; Geography; International Relations; Mathematical Methods; Nursing; Ornithology; Pathology; Psychology (Educational); Political Science; Public Administration; and Urology & Nephrology.

Particular highlights in terms of substantial increases in Impact factors compared to the 2003 figures are:

• Aging Cell with a 180% increase, raising it’s ranking in Cell Biology by over 60 positions [from 89 to 27];
• Scandinavian Political Studies with an increase of 140%;
• Animal Genetics with a 124% increase, which propelled the journal to the top of the Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science category, and raised it over 40 positions [from 85 to 43] in the Genetics & Heredity category;
• Geographical Journal with a 117% increase;
• Mammal Review with a 115% increase which raised its ranking by over 30 places [from 46 to 12] in the in the Zoology subject category.

Overall, there were 11 titles which experienced Impact Factor increases of over 100% between 2003 and 2004.

Looking specifically at titles for which Blackwell has recently taken over publishing responsibility, there were some stunning increases. Because of the method by which the Impact factor is calculated it takes 3 years for the full effect of transfer of publisher to be felt, thus, the difference between the 2003 and 2004 impact factors is most applicable to the titles that were taken over commencing 2001. Of the 36 titles which Blackwell took over in 2001, 19 of them are listed by ISI and have an Impact Factor. Of these titles, the average percentage increase was 21%, which, set in the context of an average increase across all journals listed by ISI of around 4%, is a significant benefit of changing publisher.

In summary, the 2004 Impact Factors were very positive, and an indicator of the increasing focus on developing high quality journals through focussed editorial, sales and marketing activities.

New Members join Blackwell’s Library Advisory Board

Blackwell’s Library Advisory Board is now two year’s old and we have taken the opportunity to change the make-up of the Board. Some members have remained the same with some new delegates joining from China, the US, and Europe. Librarians on the Board are drawn from many different settings, including university, consortium, health and corporate.

The fifth Library Advisory Board meeting was held in our Oxford offices last month. It offered an opportunity for more Blackwell staff to participate in discussions with the librarians and to debate issues. Topics covered included the move to e-only libraries, launching new journals, and the best practice for transferring journals. Notes from this meeting will be available soon.

Members of Blackwell’s Library Advisory Board from 2005-2007 are:

• Diane Costello, Council of Australian University Librarians, Australia
• Helmut Hartmann, Austrian Consortia Coordination, Austria
• Warren Holder, University of Toronto, Canada
• Louis Houle, McGill University, Canada
• Xiao Long, Peking University, China
• Alisa Martek, Croatian Library Association, Croatia
• Arja Tuuliniemi, FinELib, Finland
• Pierre Chourreu, Université de Toulouse, France
• Dr. Matthias Gottwald, Schering AG, Germany
• Dr. Hildegard Schaeffler, Bayerische StaatsBibliothek, Germany
• Dr. Ralf Schimmer, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany
• Prof. Syun Tutiya, Chiba University, Japan
• Daniel Mattes, Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico
• José Fernandes, Fundação para a Computação Científica Nacional, Portugal
• Barbara Aronson, World Health Organization, Switzerland
• Christine Fyfe, University of Leicester, UK
• Dr. Alice Keller, University of Oxford, UK
• Roger Brown, GlaxoSmithKline, UK
• Diana Leitch, University of Manchester, UK
• Ivy Anderson, California Digital Library, USA
• Rick Anderson, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
• Mark Sandler, University of Michigan, USA
• Dr. Michael Stoller, New York University, USA
• Ellen Duranceau, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
  

First Online Open Articles Published

We are pleased to announce that the first articles using Blackwell’s new Online Open service are now published and available for access on Blackwell Synergy. Online Open enables authors to choose to make their articles freely available to readers through a pay-to-publish fee. Please follow the links below to access the articles for free:

M.P. Cooper, N. Fretwell, S.J. Bailey & L.A. Lyons.
White spotting in the domestic cat (Felis catus) maps near KIT on feline chromosome B1.
Animal Genetics, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2005.01389.x
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showOpenAccess?journalCode=age

Crippa, B., Crosetto, M., Biescas, E., Troise, C., Pingue, F. & Natale, G. De
An advanced slip model for the Umbria-Marche earthquake sequence: coseismic displacements observed by SAR interferometry and model inversion.
Geophysical Journal International 164 (1), 36-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2005.02830.x
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showOpenAccess?journalCode=gji

Rafelski, Susanne M. & Theriot, Julie A. (2006)
Mechanism of polarization of Listeria monocytogenes surface protein ActA.
Molecular Microbiology, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05025.x
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showOpenAccess?journalCode=mmi

Wilson, Mark A., Shukitt-Hale, Barbara, Kalt, Wilhelmina, Ingram, Donald K., Joseph, James A. & Wolkow, Catherine A. (2006)
Blueberry polyphenols increase lifespan and thermotolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Aging Cell, doi: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00192.x
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showOpenAccess?journalCode=ace

Gami, Minaxi S. & Wolkow, Catherine A. (2006)
Studies of Caenorhabditis elegans DAF-2/insulin signaling reveal targets for pharmacological manipulation of lifespan.
Aging Cell, doi: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00188.x
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showOpenAccess?journalCode=ace

Dr. Leslie Lyons, author of the first Online Open article and Associate Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, said “We are honored that our manuscript regarding feline white spotting was the first Online Open access publication for Blackwell.” He added, 'Science is making explosive progress, particularly in genetics, thus Online Open access not only provides rapid communication of scientific data, but also allows scientists throughout the world, particularly researchers with more limited libraries, to participate on the cutting edge of their field.”

Online Open is on trial as an author-pays service through to the end of 2006. During the trial period, the Online Open fee is fixed at US$2500, €1850 or £1250 (plus VAT where applicable). All Online Open articles are treated in the same way as any other article. They go through the journal’s standard peer-review process and will be accepted or rejected based on their own merit. The accepted articles are prepared for publication in the usual manner and are posted online on Blackwell Synergy with the full range of features associated with that journal. The articles are archived for perpetuity and are registered at relevant Abstracting and Indexing Services and at CrossRef. Blackwell Publishing will also deposit the final text of the article on publication with PubMed Central (PMC) on behalf of the author.

During the first six months of each year we undertake our annual pricing review for the following year. One of the key factors we take into account in setting subscription prices is any increase in the amount of material we expect to publish in the journal in the following year. We will continue to use this information in setting pricing but will only take into account material published under the traditional publishing model. Any articles published under the Online Open model are excluded from this calculation.

79 journals from Blackwell Publishing now offer the Online Open service to their authors. As well as the five articles now published, a further eight Online Open articles are currently going through the production process.

A new partnership with the Wellcome Trust ensures that Blackwell’s Online Open is a Wellcome-approved system, and that any Wellcome-funded authors wishing to make their articles Online Open will receive funding for this from the Trust.

For a listing of the Online Open journals, visit: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/static/onlineopen.asp

Developing Countries’ Access to Information for Life

Researchers, educators, policy makers and medical practitioners in developing country institutions have historically suffered from a lack of access to advanced and up-to-date peer-reviewed scholarly literature. Access to this information is an essential element in strengthening local teaching and research, improving local medical and agricultural practices, and empowering local experts to find solutions to local health, environmental, social, economic, and food issues.

To answer this call, publishers of the world’s scientific and medical literature have joined forces with international agencies, leading universities, and funding bodies to provide affordable online access to academic and professional peer-reviewed journals in the world’s poorest countries.

Following is some more detailed information about the main initiatives that Blackwell Publishing participates in to improve access to peer-reviewed research in developing countries. The data provided is from August 2005.

INASP – Strengthening Research Capacity in Developing Countries

INASP (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications) runs a Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI) that delivers access to all online journals from Blackwell at a reduced rate to countries in the developing world. This includes titles covering science, medicine, social science and the humanities.

There are 66 developing countries eligible for the special rate and so far 13 countries have taken INASP up on the deal. 450 institutions in the developing world have access to the Blackwell journals through the INASP deal.

For more information about INASP, visit http://www.inasp.info/peri/index.shtml

HINARI and AGORA – Part of the UN’s Mandate

HINARI was launched in January 2002 and AGORA in October 2003. Blackwell Publishing joined the initiatives as a founder member and contributes more than 380 journals for access by researchers in the developing world.

HINARI and AGORA are making an important contribution to achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by providing essential information for life to those who need it most. The initiatives represent a truly global public-private partnership for development and we at Blackwell are proud to be a part of it.

Eligibility for HINARI and AGORA

Publicly funded and not-for-profit institutions in most countries with an annual per capita GNP of less than $1000 can gain free access to the journals in both schemes. Institutions in most countries with an annual per capita GNP of between $1000 and $3000 can access most journals in the schemes for a nominal annual fee although there are some exceptions. The income generated is invested in local training initiatives.

Registration data for HINARI

HINARI is managed by the World Health Organization in partnership with almost 70 publishers and Yale University. The initiative provides access to a collection of 2826 journals covering medicine, nursing and related health and social sciences.

There are 1590 institutions registered with access to the journals in 105 countries. Of these, 1061 institutions are in 64 Phase 1 countries and 679 institutions are in 41 Phase 2 countries.

The top five Phase 1 countries with the most institutions registered are: Nigeria (81), Ukraine (78), Viet Nam (65), Nepal (59), and Bangladesh (58).

The top five Phase 2 countries with the most institutions registered are: Colombia (92), Peru (88), Iraq (70), Romania (43), and Ecuador (35).

The only countries with no registrations to date are Comoros, Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Equatorial Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Wallis and Futuna.

For more information about HINARI, visit http://www.who.int/hinari

Registration data for AGORA

AGORA is managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization in partnership with over 20 publishers and Cornell University. The initiative provides access to a collection of 747 journals covering agriculture, fisheries, food, nutrition, veterinary science, and related biological, environmental and social sciences.

There are 583 institutions registered with access to the journals in 60 Phase 1 countries. Phase 2 of AGORA is due to begin in 2006.

The top seven countries with the most institutions registered are: Nigeria (61), Viet Nam (39), Tanzania (38), Ghana (31), Kenya (30), Bangladesh (30) and Ethiopia (23).

The only countries with no registrations yet are Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Haiti, Kiribati, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tokelau, Turkmenistan, and Tuvalu.

For more information about AGORA, visit http://www.aginternetwork.org

Both the HINARI and AGORA teams continue to contact librarians, directors and staff in eligible institutions that have not yet registered.

Training and Outreach

Efforts continue to maximize synergies and collaboration between the two programmes in training, outreach, technical development, evaluation, and funding.

A resource CD-ROM has been produced which includes training materials for end-users, including self-instructional modules (also in French), and videos, and training materials for trainers, with sample presentations, handouts, and exercises.

Promotional materials, including leaflets and posters, are now available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. These are designed to raise awareness and usage of the initiatives within the eligible countries.

There is also an office in Harare, Zimbabwe, with a mandate to spearhead outreach, capacity building and support for the AGORA and HINARI programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Harare staff undertake around 30 training and customer support missions annually and have so far trained over 800 scientists, doctors, researchers and information professionals from medicine, agriculture and related disciplines.

Evaluation Program

In order to determine and shape the long-term future of HINARI and AGORA, the initiatives’ partners have agreed to conduct an evaluation programme funded by DfID (UK’s Department for International Development) and due for completion in mid-2006. This will include a study of how HINARI and AGORA are working and being used in the field and how they are affecting the participating organizations, focusingin particular, on longer term governance issues for the two initiatives.

Feedback from the Field

“At Kamuzu College, the nursing faculty of the University of Malawi, ‘Information Isolation’ is a thing of the past! The last three months have brought great changes to the College with the combined opportunity of HINARI access, and the other vital ingredient, fast (broadband) internet through VSAT. The two are revolutionizing access to information. Thank you HINARI and all partners!”
Kamuzu College, University of Malawi, Malawi

“I am a young research scientist working towards alleviating poverty in the most deprived area in my country. Unfortunately, I have lots of data sitting on my desk -without access to current literature and tools to enable me to publish my findings. I just came across your AGORA free journals initiative and now I can access this valuable source of knowledge for the benefit of my people and the scientific community at large.”
Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana

Blackwell Publishing Exhibiting at ALA Midwinter Conference

Blackwell Publishing will be exhibiting at Booth #365 during the 2006 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, TX. The exhibit hours begin on Friday, January 20th and run through to Monday, January 23rd. Please stop by the Blackwell booth to get a Blackwell Synergy product demonstration or discuss your collection with a journals sales representative.

Our Websites

• Blackwell Synergy: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com
• Blackwell Publishing Librarian Information: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/librarians
• Tips on how to make the best use of online journals: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/info

Have you found this useful?

Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions for this newsletter by emailing us on journal.news@blackwellpublishing.com. You are welcome to forward this Newsletter to any colleagues who may find it useful.

Many thanks and best wishes,

Blackwell Publishing