Presidents Sign On

According to an article in Inside Higher Ed, the letter, released Tuesday, endorses the Federal Research Access Act of 2009, a bill aimed at increasing public access to academic research that is funded by the federal government.

Inside Higher Ed reports that "the bill would require certain federal agencies -- those that fund more than $100 million in extramural research annually -- to require peer-reviewed journals that publish that research to make it available for free on the Web after six months. It would be 'a major step forward in ensuring equitable online access to research literature that is paid for by taxpayers,' according to the presidents' letter."

Read the September 23, 2009 Inside Higher Ed report.

Download the open letter (in pdf format).