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Scientists advance knowledge by building on the work of their peers and
predecessors from earlier generations. The integrity of science
therefore requires that scientists today and in the future have access
to a permanent, validated and definitive record of the work of others.
A broad community of scientists, editors, libraries, publishers,
funding bodies, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions
and societies all play a role in creating and preserving that record.
The published peer reviewed journal article serves as the "minutes of
science" -- a definitive record of the author's work, edited and
reviewed by academic peers, prepared for publication, and then widely
disseminated. It is preserved and safeguarded by publishers in its
original and inalterable form. The process is vital to ensuring the
integrity of science - distortion, error, misattribution and plagiarism
all have dangerous consequences for scientists, health practitioners
and the communities they serve.
Over a million peer reviewed articles are archived each year, and
articles published in the past, some of which date back hundreds of
years, have been scanned and digitized. Thanks to investments in
infrastructure required to validate and to preserve published journal
articles, and the efforts of publishers, libraries and archives, an
estimated 35 million articles have been archived and are available for
use today.
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