Valuable Earth and Space Science Research Now More Accessible to the Public

Washington, D.C.— The American Geophysical Union (AGU) and Wiley today announced that, starting 1 May, all AGU journal content from 1997 to content published 24 months ago will be made freely available. This change will apply to all articles and supplementary materials from journals that are not already open access, as well as AGU’s weekly newspaper, Eos. It currently represents more than 80,000 journal articles and issues of Eos.  Additional content will continue to become open every month, on a 24-month rolling cycle.

“As the largest publisher of Earth and space science research, not only is it AGU’s responsibility to  advance our science and support the execution of high-quality research, of equal importance is our responsibility to share that knowledge as widely as possible,” said Carol Finn, President, AGU. “Our journals are leading the way in a number of areas, including the quality of our peer review, and we have a wealth of content that is relevant to the interests of the public and civic leaders, policymakers, educators, and citizen scientists. Improving their access by unlocking this content serves our mission to promote discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity . . . and it will lead to a deeper understanding of natural hazards, water and air quality, land use, ocean resources, use and monitoring of natural resources, and many other critical societal issues.”

In addition to increasing free access to journals online, AGU has also joined the innovative Access to Research initiative through its publishing partner, Wiley. This program provides patrons of U.K. public libraries instant online access to journal content from 1997 to the present at the library.

“Wiley supports the Access to Research initiative and the constructive engagement between publishers and public libraries which has led to the launch of this innovative project,” said Sue Joshua, Legal Director, Global Research, Wiley. “Our society partners are also enthusiastic about the project which provides online access in public libraries to the latest peer-reviewed research from around the world. Together, we will develop a much better understanding of how to meet the demand for expert, reliable knowledge, which we believe will grow over the term of the pilot.”

This new policy marks the latest innovation in AGU’s publishing strategy, which already includes providing access to developing nations through its participation in the Research4Life program, enabling more than 5,000 institutions to freely access AGU’s content. In addition to these new programs, AGU offers Green Open Access after six months that allows a copy to be placed in a repository, and it also offers three fully open access journals – JAMES, Earth’s Future, and the recently announced Earth and Space Science, which will publish its first articles later this year.

About AGU
The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 62,000 members in 144 countries. Join our conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media channels.

About Wiley
Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfil their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley’s global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company’s website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.

Joan Buhrman, [email protected], 202-777-7509, 571-213-3812 (c)