Elsevier, an Amsterdam-based publisher of scientific, technological and medical information products and services, announced its publishing partnership with Peking University on October 14.

Peking University and Elsevier sign co-op deal. [Maverick Chen / China.org.cn]

Under the agreement, Elsevier will publish the Proceedings of the Beijing Forum from 2004 to 2008 in Procedia – the e-only product launched by the Dutch publisher. Procedia enables fast dissemination so conference delegates can publish their papers in an online issue called ScienceDirect, which will then be freely available to the world.

Initiated in 2004, the aim of the Beijing Forum is to promote the study of the humanities and social sciences globally.

Martin Tanke, managing director of Elsevier S&T Journal Publishing, commented, "We are very pleased that Elsevier will publish the Proceedings of the Beijing Forum. The new publishing arrangement with Elsevier will enable the proceedings to reach a wider audience throughout the world and help the global recognition of the forum."

In explaining why Elsevier picked Peking University as its first cooperative program with a Chinese university, Tanke noted, "Peking University's humanities program is internationally renowned. And as a world-leading publisher in social sciences, partnering with them is just one of the ways we are helping to foster research in China."

Martin Tanke, left, shakes hands with PKU Vice President Liu Jianhua after signing the agreement. [Maverick Chen / China.org.cn]

Lin Jianhua, vice president of Peking University and the university's representative in the contract signing ceremony, said Peking University needs partnerships like this one. "Through dialogue, the culture of the East and West can better intermingle," Lin said. He also pointed out that up to 25 percent of Peking University students' thesis and research papers are published on Elsevier's online database.

Regarding issues such as copyright protection in a freely accessible environment, Tanke assured there was no need to worry. "Free access doesn't mean there's no copyright. We expect our database's guests to observe the code of conduct while enjoying our free online resource, and we also have a monitoring mechanism to detect copyright abuse should there be any."