The American Dental Association recently shared its concerns about proposals from the National Institutes of Health aimed at limiting the amount grantees can spend on publishing research.
The NIH is currently weighing five options to limit the use of federal grant money for article publishing costs.
While the dental organization said Sept. 15 that it supported the NIH’s overall goal of promoting open access and fiscal responsibility, it warned that certain changes could harm scientific integrity and negatively impact early-career researchers and smaller projects.
The ADA urged the NIH to reject proposals to either prohibit article processing spending altogether or cap it at $2,000 per article, stating that this would prevent researchers from publishing their work in reputable journals that charge higher amounts for publication.
The ADA also warned that an option to tie higher publication cost allowances to whether journals pay peer reviewers or publish peer reviews openly could introduce bias and logistical burdens.
