Scholarly Kitchen Podcast: Susan King on CHORUS
An interview with Susan King of the CHORUS steering group about the publisher response to the OSTP public access memorandum.
Are We In a Rut? Explaining the Increasing Homogenization of Scholarly and Scientific Publishing
The Internet promised a revolution, but we may have only deepened our rut as a number of factors have combined to constrain innovation and change our customer focus.
Redundant and Expensive – How F1000 Research’s Model Reveals the Root Problems of PubMed Central
More internal PubMed Central emails show quite clearly that PMC is wasting taxpayers’ money solving problems publishers have already solved.
Businessman Closes Product, Community Enraged! The Death of Tools of Change
When a popular and iconic product is ended, the outrage doesn’t match the pragmatism and agility we all espouse. TOC’s end is one such example.
It's Not 1995 Again — Why the Threats from the New Big Players May Be Much More Significant This Time
Eighteen years ago, Mosaic ushered in the potential for a sea-change in publishing based on technological prowess and scale. Today, the “open” label covers a set of disparate incentives under a single blanket, one that funders, government, and technology companies are all under, each for its own reason.
OSTP Public Access Memo Deadlines Loom Over Us
The OSTP access memorandum has led to hearings this month. Be sure to contribute and observe.
Convenience versus Community — Is a Deeper Question Hiding Behind the Façade of the Access Debates?
While the access debates have dominated, another debate has been emerging, one that perhaps has greater significance in the long run.
Fighting on Three Fronts — A Presentation to the Council of Scientific Society Presidents
A summary with slides of a presentation for the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP). The argument is that professional societies are now fighting on three fronts: with the new open access mandates, with the large commercial competitors, and sometimes internally when governance is an issue.
More Review Costs More — The Dynamics of a Complex and Varied Expense for Journals
Can peer review systems be run less expensively? Sure, if you eliminate major levels and elements of peer review.
Disruption Ain’t What It Used to Be
The journals business has not been disrupted and does not appear likely to be disrupted for some time. Journals publishers continue to dominate the institutional market and are seeking to coopt Gold OA services.
Stick to Your Ribs: Going Legit: The Difficult Path from Piracy to Partnership
Though social networking websites continue to proliferate, turning them into sustainable, revenue-generating businesses is still a difficult prospect. For sites based on the illegal distribution of copyrighted material, the process is even more difficult. Is it possible for a pirate to become a respected member of the business community?
What the Heck Does a Book Cost?
The sheer number of new marketing programs for books makes it hard to determine just how much a book costs. This post details all the factors involved with pricing.
SSP Board Decides to Reinstate Removed Posts
The Board of the Society for Scholarly Publishing votes to restore disputed posts in order to stand for the organization’s core principles of discussion, freedom of expression, and welcoming all perspectives.
Librarians and Societies and Publishers – Oh My!
A meeting between librarians, publishers, and society leaders reveals common concerns and the ways in which roles are overlapping and mingling.
"By Scientists, For Scientists" — Deconstructing a Misguided, Misleading, and Thoughtless Cliché
A common marketing cliche turns out to be empty of anything but rhetorical power when examined more carefully.