tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post765192149752254653..comments2024-02-15T04:42:41.606+00:00Comments on James' Empty Blog: Is for-profit publishing dead?James Annanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-36476395032360291542012-02-26T09:06:49.283+00:002012-02-26T09:06:49.283+00:00To get it out of the way in case someone ever thou...To get it out of the way in case someone ever thought bunnies can think, the idea is not Eli's originally.<br /><br />Let the market set the price, the journals already have the mechanism because they are set up to accept the very high current charges. One publisher needs to move the price point down until the income matches the effort + profit. Of course cutting off the libraries requires some gumption, but you might interest a library in setting up an account that the faculty and student's charges went against up to some limit).<br /><br />Eli has been the victim of systems where the number of free downloads from a particular university per month was allowed and it might have been Elsevier.EliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-27566681347333856062012-02-26T01:49:26.408+00:002012-02-26T01:49:26.408+00:00Eli,
That's an interesting idea. I wonder wha...Eli,<br /><br />That's an interesting idea. I wonder what the charge would have to be in order to be workable. There aren't actually that many real readers for an average paper if my GRL downloads are any sort of a guide (and that should be at the broad end of the scale). DRM would make it a nightmare but it might be difficult to make it work fairly otherwise. The music industry copes but the sales volume is very different...<br /><br />I don't think publisher pays (for open access) is that bad a model. As the EGU case shows, proper paper production doesn't come for free, though it should be a nugatory proportion of the research budget.James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-88714033001800802832012-02-25T23:36:14.336+00:002012-02-25T23:36:14.336+00:00Perhaps what is needed is an Itunes database, wher...Perhaps what is needed is an Itunes database, where everyone buys any paper for a small amount, say the equivalent of a dollar (US). <br /><br />Libraries could give up their subscriptions to the on line journals with the costs borne directly by the users.<br /><br />Page charges are the last remnant of the vanity press.EliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-77326901785019176682012-02-23T03:46:51.669+00:002012-02-23T03:46:51.669+00:00I think the top goal has to simply be open access,...I think the top goal has to simply be open access, doesn't it? Then Elsevier can charge authors (or get sponsorship or whatever othger options they can dream up) what they want, how they want - but the knowledge will be freely available. As I said, the EGU manages it on €24 per page, which includes a profit margin.James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-6808513581657341352012-02-22T22:49:33.601+00:002012-02-22T22:49:33.601+00:00Holding a boycott without actually specifying a li...Holding a boycott without actually specifying a list of demands sounds like just the sort of thing a bunch of college professors would do. I sent a letter to the costofknowledge webmaster suggesting that the boycott needs to tell Elsevier what we want them to do. No response yet...<br /><br />Tyler-<br /> I just became aware of your excellent site facilitating the boycotting of Elsevier journals.<br /> It seems silly to have a boycott without specifying a set of demands; otherwise the target of the boycott has no clear guidance on what it would take to end the boycott and the boycott is thus ineffective or at minimum inefficient.<br /> On the other hand, getting a group of academics to agree on a set of concrete demands may be even more challenging than organizing a successful boycott.<br /> I suggest including on your boycott registration list a set of demands that boycotters may choose from, just as they choose what they will refrain from doing. This set must be brief and must be entirely quantifiable. Something like:<br /><br />* Pricing for Elsevier journals should be lowered to reflect a long-term goal of a profit margin of (choose up to one):<br /> - 20%<br /> - 10%<br /> - 5%<br />* All Elsevier journals must be available for subscription individually by libraries<br />* Elsevier must cease all forms of support for laws that would (choose none, any, or all):<br /> - inhibit the ability of scientists to choose to make their data and results freely available to the scientific community<br /> - inhibit government mandates for open access to scientific data and results<br /> - inhibit the use of the Internet for the free exchange of data and results<br /><br /> - John<br /><br />end-of-letter<br /><br />Myself, I would choose 10% for the first demand, agree with the second demand, and skip the third demand.n-ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13623286293220069335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-43026149195513744502012-02-22T04:09:40.127+00:002012-02-22T04:09:40.127+00:00http://nghoussoub.com/2012/02/09/reed-elsevier-sto...http://nghoussoub.com/2012/02/09/reed-elsevier-stock-price-is-dropping-but/ <br /><br />http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/SPRGn.DE/key-developments<br /><br />Alex Springer originally stated the company named after him in order to assist mathematicians in disseminating their work. The prices for books and journals used to be quite reasonable.David B. Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02917182411282836875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-90412224709754581152012-02-22T02:14:57.047+00:002012-02-22T02:14:57.047+00:00Carl, I think Elsevier just makes a fat profit for...Carl, I think Elsevier just makes a fat profit for its owners.<br /><br />I see that one of my colleagues here has signed up to the boycott. I do, however, have a soft spot for Ocean Modelling where my most cited paper was published, also it was started by Peter Killworth who seemed to be a great guy (not that I knew him well).James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-15633392453871025512012-02-21T23:45:44.231+00:002012-02-21T23:45:44.231+00:00Is there a breakdown where all the cash goes in ac...Is there a breakdown where all the cash goes in academic publishing, or is that the big secret? I mean does it provide jobs for the publishing staff, or is some Rupert Murdoch raking in all the profits, and a few executives going on junkets etc? <br /><br />The situation reminds me of another life when I was going to be a professional musician back in the 80's -- in Los Angeles all the bands would actually pay to play in a bunch of clubs where record company agents were known to frequent and sign up the next "Motley Crue" or "Poison" or "Night Ranger" etc. But that was an odd "market" that only lasted a few years -- academic publishing has been doing this scam for decades (I guess due to it's monopolistic...errr...nature)....Carl Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14717209873111026574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-40158161232815612172012-02-21T21:43:53.292+00:002012-02-21T21:43:53.292+00:00Not that Elsevier is necessarily the worst, but th...Not that Elsevier is necessarily the worst, but there has been a number of issues with them...<br />- arms trade:<br />http://www.idiolect.org.uk/elsevier/<br />- fake journals:<br />http://classic.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55679/<br />- and of course lately, the Research Works Act thing...e.g.: <br />http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=807<br />http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=846<br /><br />Apparently Springer and Wiley are distancing themselves from the RWA.<br /><br />I recently published and reviewed for Agriculture & Forest Meterorology, but will refrain from doing so from now on.<br />I guess its easier for us in the climate science community given the stronger weight of AGU, AMS, EGU etc journals.ICEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13099679682895985843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-70776084013897696352012-02-21T17:10:26.609+00:002012-02-21T17:10:26.609+00:00I let my Nature subscription expire in early Decem...I let my Nature subscription expire in early December last year. I've received every copy since then.<br /><br />Fight the power!Paul Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15275182941476518621noreply@blogger.com