[Foundation-l] Black market science

[geni]

On 26 June 2011 21:12, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://chronicle.com/article/Academic-Publisher-Steps-Up/128031/
>
> People are exchanging and selling access to the databases to get the
> damn science.
>
> This is why we need to keep pushing the free content and open access
> message.

While back channel paper exchange is pretty common I doubt that the
people stealing passwords are actually doing much in the way of
science. Things are so specialised these days that people doing much
in the way of serious science probably know the dozen or so other
people in their field well enough for them be to emailed their papers
directly.

While there are many many things wrong with the current scientific
publishing model (start with it's a parasite with lower ethical
standards than Microsoft and then work your way up) I don't think a
trade in passwords in indicative of much.

I don't know much about the situation in the humanities though.

>You cannot do science in a system with these effects.

In fairness you demonstrably can. Of course it's an open question how
many people really are.

-- 
geni