2.2.5.2 Derivative publications

This section was prepared by Deborah Dixon, Editorial and Business Development Director, John Wiley & Sons Ltd; updated in November and December 2004, and June 2005, and approved by the Publishing Policy Group (PPG) of the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group on 12 July 2005. It was updated by Deborah Pentesco-Gilbert, Publisher of The Cochrane Library, in February 2007 to include a list of derivative publications and to amend the wording to include derivatives other than the spin-off libraries. It was further updated in December 2011 to replace all occurrences of the disbanded Publishing Policy Group (PPG) with the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group, via the Editor in Chief.

Background

Wiley is keen to evaluate derivative publications including journals and spin-off libraries that fulfil the following criteria:

• It is an excellent stand-alone product with a robust business plan that generates revenues for the Cochrane entity and overall profit.
• It is a high quality, high profile product that enhances the brand of The Cochrane Library.
• It is a product that complements our sales strategy for The Cochrane Library.
• There is sufficient ‘added value’ in terms of content compared with that in The Cochrane Library that it warrants separate publication.

The contract between The Cochrane Collaboration and Wiley gives Wiley first option to publish derivative products from The Cochrane Library. If Wiley refuses this option then Wiley will set a fee for the licensing of Cochrane reviews for the derivative product. This fee is to be approved by the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group via the Editor in Chief.

Evaluation process

Wiley proposes the following process to be adapted by Cochrane entities with proposals for derivative publications:

The Cochrane entity describes, in a written proposal, the precise content to be included.

• If any of the content to be included has not been created by the Cochrane entity (e.g. third-party material such as that produced by the York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, or Cochrane reviews created by other groups) the Cochrane entity needs to obtain written permission from the owners of the content to include it in the derivative product. They need to be aware that a fee or royalty may be requested for the inclusion of this material, which will need to be paid by the Cochrane entity or out of the royalties payable by Wiley to the Cochrane entity.
• The Cochrane entity needs to send its proposal , including information on the plans for payment of royalties to other content providers, simultaneously to Wiley and to the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group via the Editor in Chief.
• Wiley will evaluate the financial viability of the derivative product by conducting peer and market review of the proposal.
• If in agreement to explore the proposal further, Wiley will propose a royalty payment or licence fee. The Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group, via the Editor in Chief, needs to respond as to whether a payment or a proportion of the royalty should be paid to The Collaboration Trading Company, and if so what the payment should be.
• Cochrane entities need to have a plan that outlines the supplying of the content to Wiley in a form that is ready to publish, and the responsibilities for all parties involved are to be described in the proposal.

Production costs

If it is agreed that Wiley will publish the derivative product, Wiley will bear the costs of production of the derivative product.

Marketing, sales, and distribution of the spin-off Library

Wiley will have the full responsibility for marketing, sales and distribution of the derivative product. Wiley will make it available for sale on the open market to individuals, institutions and consortia. Sales staff from Wiley will also approach companies to buy large quantities of the product at discount (this strategy was agreed at the Steering Group meeting in Bergamo in March 2004). Wiley will set all prices.

Licensing of Cochrane reviews to an alternative publisher

If Wiley declines the first option to publish the derivative product and the Cochrane entity finds an alternative publisher, the publisher needs to apply to Wiley for a non-exclusive licence to publish the Cochrane reviews included in the derivative product. Provided that the number of reviews published in the derivative product does not exceed a number considered by Wiley to jeopardise sales of The Cochrane Library, Wiley will apply a fee for the licence, and revenue generated will be included in the royalty calculation for The Cochrane Collaboration. Wiley will seek advice from the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group, via the Editor in Chief, if the number of reviews to be included in a particular derivative product exceeds the number that Wiley considers would jeopardise sales of The Cochrane Library. Wiley would provide a rationale for setting the limit for the number of included reviews. This fee will be set on a case-by-case basis supported by a business rationale. A separate fee will be set for a CD-ROM version and an Internet version. Fees will be presented to the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group for approval. A full acknowledgement to The Cochrane Collaboration and to Wiley would need to be made for the use of the reviews. Derivative products cannot, however, carry the branding of The Cochrane Library.

If anyone has an idea for a derivative product, they should contact Deborah Pentesco-Gilbert, Publisher, The Cochrane Library, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK (Tel +44 (0)1243 770693; Fax +44 (0)1243 770460; E-mail dpentesc@wiley.co.uk).

Current derivative publications

Evidence-based Child Health: A Cochrane Journal (www.evidence-basedchildhealth.com).

The WHO Reproductive Health Library (http://www.who.int/hrp/rhl/en/).

Cochrane reviews - mobile version (www.skyscape.com/cochrane).