Tension Headaches
Conflicts Among the Players
In the last couple of decades, tensions have increased among the different groups involved in scholarly publishing, owing to a number of different factors:
- Increasing Volume of Scientific Research
- It has been estimated that knowledge doubles every 15 years,3 and the volume of new research produced and submitted for publication, especially in technical, scientific and medical fields, has increased substantially. This has led to an increase in the number of pages per journal, more new scholarly journal titles, and increased pressure on the existing peer review system.
- Publishing Monopolies
- Since the mid-1980s, commercial publishers have grown larger through mergers and acquisitions, leading to virtual monopolies in some disciplinary fields.
- Rising Journal Subscription Costs
- Subscription costs for journals have risen dramatically. Association of Research Libraries (ARL) data shows that during the period from 1990 to 2000, the average subscription price increased by more than 10% a year, and average profit margins for commercial publishers grew by 20 to 40 percent per year.4 Serial unit costs have risen 3.5 times faster than increases in the consumer price index.5
- Strained Library Subscription Budgets
- The subscription budgets for libraries have been strained to the breaking point by spiraling publisher price increases, forcing libraries to cancel journal subscriptions and reduce spending on other materials. In addition, libraries must often pay a surcharge for accessing publishers’ content online, increasing the burden on already tight budgets.
- Migration to Online Publishing
- The advent of electronic communication has put pressure on publishers to explore new methods of providing access to their content online, and new pricing models tying print subscriptions to online access.
- Push for Open-Access Publishing
- The Internet has offered opportunities for libraries and the scientific community to develop "open access" publication models that provide free access to scholarly literature.
The bottom line is that scholarly publishing is in an unprecedented state of flux.6 This may all seem academic to you, but these changes will affect how you as a scholar publish your work now and in the future. Let’s address a couple more points on this issue.
