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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journal articles, and the efforts of publishers, libraries and archives, an estimated 35 million articles have been archived and are available for use today.
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