This kind of response is characteristic of those whose thinking is insufficiently radical. The way things have always been is no guide to what happens in a paradigm shift.
The proposed "author's-institution -pays" model is not simply a continuation of old-fashioned page charges. It is a totally new way of financing scholarly communication, in which university libraries do not have to pay for journals. A great many academics (not only in psychology) have not yet understood this. Will they have to wait until their library cannot afford *any* journals in their discipline before they grasp the point? Fytton Rowland, Loughborough University, UK.. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher D. Green" <chri...@yorku.ca> To: <american-scientist-open-access-fo...@listserver.sigmaxi.org> Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 10:27 PM Subject: Re: Journal expenses and publication costs > Manfredi La Manna wrote: > > > The one-size-fits-all syndrome strikes again. Scientific disciplines > > are vastly different in terms of all the relevant variables here, > > such as rejection rates, turnaround times, editorial structures, etc. I > > understand that BMC's figure of $500 article-processing-charge (APC) per > > published article is based on an average rejection rate of 50%. The same > > ratio applied to a top economics journal (with a rejection rate of 95%) > > would yield a prohibitive $5,000 APC. > > I've been thinking it all through this discussion, but perhaps I should make > it explicit here. Charges such as this weil *never* fly in experimental > psychology, where the only journals that have page charges are generally > considered to be just a hair's beadth above vanity presses. Another business > model will haveto be developed if this is to work in psychology. > > Regards, > -- > Christopher D. Green > Department of Psychology > York University > Toronto, Ontario, Canada > M3J 1P3 > > e-mail: chri...@yorku.ca > phone: 416-736-5115 ext. 66164 > fax: 416-736-5814 > http://www.yorku.ca/christo/
