For example, Science Commons, an offshoot of Creative Commons (which provides less restrictive copyright licences to authors), is preparing to develop open licences later this year.

ECONOMIST: Can open source revolutionise biotech?

One participant was John Wilbanks, who earned a degree in philosophy from Tulane and went on to run Science Commons, which focuses on getting scientists to collaborate by signing agreements to exchange research data.

WSJ: Citizen Scientists Take On the Health Establishment

Mr. Wilbanks, who recently left Science Commons, created a standard consent document that will allow people to agree to let their genetic data be studied by anyone who is interested as long as the investigator shares the results.

WSJ: Citizen Scientists Take On the Health Establishment

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee did more than just lament the rising price of journals.

ECONOMIST: Scientific publishing

In 2006 the Commons science and technology committee reviewed the directive and was "alarmed" to discover it was based on a 10-year-old risk assessment.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Planned scan-limit delay welcomed

The House of Commons science and technology committee is conducting an inquiry into the impact of closing the Forensic Science Service (FSS) which analysed crime scene evidence in England and Wales.

BBC: DNA crime-fighting in UK 'lagging behind', experts say

And in a recent report, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee argued that ministers had become a bit too keen to argue that they'd made decisions on the basis of evidence when there wasn't any.

BBC: VIEWPOINT

Ian Gibson, chairman of the Commons committee on science and technology, wants to find out whether membership of these societies is truly democratic.

ECONOMIST: Science and sexism