[DIYbio] Other models for Journal Access

***NOTE: This topic is not about fluoride, etc so don't go there. Read
on, then.***

A few days ago, I came across someone claiming Fluoride is bad to add
to drinking water and was referencing the article found in [Nucl Med
Commun. 2012 Jan ;33(1):14-20. PMID: 21946616] "Association of
vascular fluoride uptake with vascular calcification and coronary
artery disease." However, it turns out this is a wholly unrelated
article and has nothing to do with oral intake of the fluoride used in
tap water.

The issue for me was trying to get access to this source article,
cheaply. I found it in a google search now.

My question is, why can't the Journal publishers figure out a way to
provide cheaper access to articles? One way I thought of is to
determine the popularity of an article (public popularity, not
necessarily number of times referenced) and offer those articles at a
discount price (not $20, $30, etc per article).

The thing is, for a few dollars, I would have bought the article
rather than look for a free version. There are many articles that I
can't legally access. And publishers should realize that their only
audience is not the specific scientific area they cater to. There are
probably many others who would like to read the original source
articles rather than dumbed down "news".

I read a recent WSJ article that says that the e-book industry
prevented widespread piracy by embracing e-readers. This was
contrasted with the fact that the music industry tried to get mp3
players banned. Now e-books are so common that it is easier to buy one
than pirate one. In the music industry, piracy became so prevalent
that ordinary people have no moral qualms to pirating a song.

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