Editor—Ironically, I saw Delamothe and Smith's announcement about paying for access to bmj.com when double checking the URL of the BMJ while writing a sentence in my MA dissertation: “Some journals, such as the British Medical Journal, are currently available free online to the general public.”1
This sentence, however, refers to access for health professionals in developing countries. I therefore congratulate and admire the decision to keep free access for lower and middle income countries while collecting from those more able to pay.
My only concern is that the BMJ Publishing Group may not be charging enough to sustain its services, cover the administrative costs of collecting subscription fees, and still be able to support services such as INASP-Health (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications).
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Delamothe T, Smith R. Paying for bmj.com BMJ 2003;327:241-2. (2 August.)