The House just passed FY08 spending bills to change the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy by requiring researchers to make copies of their publicly-funded research available to the public on the internet for free. As SPARC and the Alliance for Taxpayer Access has said,
Widespread dissemination of research results is an essential, inseparable component of our nation's investment in science and a right of the American taxpayer...public access to research will drive taxpayer benefits such as accelerated scientific advancement, enhanced national competitiveness, and improved public health...mandatory NIH public access removes imposing barriers, making the results of taxpayer-funded research readily available online at no extra charge to every scientist as well as to small businesses, patients, physicians and clinicians, students and educators, and the American public - without disrupting the important peer-review process.
So the next time you're comparing the relative merits of Allegra and Claritin and want to rely on something other than the repetitively uninformative ads - or just want to find a really fun term like esomeprazole magnesium to throw out during cocktail parties so people think you're interesting and well-read - you'll be able to just stroll through the NIH's online collection of scholarly research and see what the experts say.
The Washington Post is reporting, however, that there's already been a move to veto the bill on the grounds of expense, which would make access to research another casualty of a Bush veto.
The free dissemination of and access to knowledge is crucial, not only for helping Americans make informed health care decisions, but in maintaining a well-informed and engaged civil society.
Cross-posted at Free Exchange on Campus