Monday, September 10, 2007
Ads for Doctors
The New York Times reports today that Reed Elsevier just launched a new online portal for oncologists. Register with personal information, and get free access to the latest articles from 100 medical journals, including The Lancet and Surgical Oncology. The catch? Ads, sponsorships, and sale of their direct mail list to advertisers, especially "pharmaceutical companies with cancer drugs to sell."
I'm not sure how I feel about this, and need to let it settle for a bit. On the one hand, this is an interesting way to get around astronomical journal prices. On the other, should oncologists be bombarded with ads from pharmaceutical companies (OK, yes, like this doesn't already happen), and is it possible that sponsorship could affect content?
The article mentions the potential for additional future portals in other specialties -- definitely a model worth watching to see how it develops.
I'm not sure how I feel about this, and need to let it settle for a bit. On the one hand, this is an interesting way to get around astronomical journal prices. On the other, should oncologists be bombarded with ads from pharmaceutical companies (OK, yes, like this doesn't already happen), and is it possible that sponsorship could affect content?
The article mentions the potential for additional future portals in other specialties -- definitely a model worth watching to see how it develops.
Labels: elsevier, journals, oncologists, openaccess, portal
