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The journals crisis: redirecting the blame
1Department of Chemistry, Trinity University, 715 Stadium Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA. sbachrach@trinity.edu
Journal of Chemical Information and Computer Sciences
|March 30, 2001
Summary
The academic publishing crisis, marked by rising journal costs and falling subscriptions, is driven by excessive publications and a high academic author output. Solutions must emerge from the scientific author community itself.
Area of Science:
- Scholarly communication
- Bibliometrics
- Academic publishing
Background:
- The "journals crisis" is commonly attributed to publishers and librarians.
- This crisis is characterized by escalating serial prices and declining subscriber bases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present an alternative perspective on the drivers of the journals crisis.
- To shift the focus of blame from publishers/librarians to the author community.
- To advocate for author-driven solutions to the crisis.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the academic publishing ecosystem.
- Examination of publication trends and author behavior in academic chemistry.
Main Results:
- The author community, through a high publication rate and article output, significantly contributes to the journals crisis.
- An overabundance of published articles and a surplus of journals exacerbate the problem.
- The current publication rate per academic chemist is a key factor.
Conclusions:
- The author community bears substantial responsibility for the journals crisis.
- Any fundamental change in the global publication paradigm must originate from within the author community.
- Addressing the crisis requires a shift in author behavior and publication practices.