The scientific traditions of collaboration, transparency and sharing can be at odds with the constraints of publishers, patents and copy protection. Science Commons is a new project of the Creative Commons with a mission to facilitate the growth of an openly accessible commons for scientific knowledge. In this talk, Paula Le Dieu maps out some of the alternative models for journal publishing, licensing and data sharing which can help promote the flow of scientific results and innovation.

Le Dieu highlights research on the well known p53 tumor suppressor gene to illustrate how scientific progress can be encumbered by limited access to published results. Meta analysis of the tens of thousands of articles written on p53 reveals an intriguing web of connections between different pathways and diseases, but this approach is hindered by the fact that only a quarter of published research papers are freely accessible in full text on line.

Limits stem partly from a conflict between the scientists' interest in sharing knowledge and publishers' interest in protecting copyright. The shift toward electronic publishing also means more libraries acquire journals on a rental basis rather than outright purchase so that all access is lost if the subscription ends.

Since there is no way of knowing in advance where new insights may lie, it's in the interest of humanity to ensure the widest possible access to the body of scientific knowledge. To that end, Science Commons is promoting new publishing models. They are also trying to rationalize the language of technology transfer agreements to help scientists avoid inadvertently signing away rights. Finally, the group is investigating alternatives to the 'publish or perish' mode of building scientific reputation. Open access publication and diverse impact measurements can help reduce the inequities of citation ranking.