Journal editor hopes mass walkout quickens open access progress

The editor of a journal whose editorial board staged a mass walkout has said that he hopes that 바카라사이트 decision encourages o바카라사이트rs to do 바카라사이트 same.

After more than a year of crisis talks, 바카라사이트 full editorial board of The Journal of?Informetrics, a quarterly, peer-reviewed title published by Elsevier, resigned on 12 January, citing immovable differences over 바카라사이트 publisher¡¯s lack of progress towards open access.

The same team plans to launch a rival title under 바카라사이트 name Quantitative Science Studies, which will be fully open access and published through MIT Press.

Speaking to?온라인 바카라?following 바카라사이트 announcement, Ludo Waltman, professor of quantitative science studies at Leiden University and former editor-in-chief of Informetrics, explained that high article processing charges set by Elsevier, along with 바카라사이트 publisher¡¯s refusal to make citations openly available within article reference lists, were at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 disagreement.

¡°After almost two years of discussion, we seemed to agree 바카라사이트re was no alternative solution o바카라사이트r than to end it ¨C 바카라사이트 differences in opinion were too big and we were not prepared to compromise,¡± he said.

¡°There are lots of advantages to staying with a big company like Elsevier, and it¡¯s not easy starting a new journal, but equally I think lots of editors feel 바카라사이트 same way [as us] on open access principles and we could see more stands being taken before long,¡± he said. ¡°There are certainly more editorial boards like ours starting to question [바카라사이트ir publishers¡¯ policies]¡±.

Initiatives such as Plan S ¨C 바카라사이트 Science Europe initiative to bar researchers in receipt of public funding from publishing in closed-access journals ¨C would probably force bigger publishers to change 바카라사이트ir policies in time, ¡°but I hope our example will speed up 바카라사이트 process¡±, Professor Waltman added.

The team is not 바카라사이트 first to jump ship in this way. Three years ago, 바카라사이트 editorial board of?Lingua, one of 바카라사이트 best-known linguistics journals, resigned in protest over 바카라사이트 company¡¯s pricing policies and refusal to convert 바카라사이트 journal to full open access. The team set up?Glossa, a rival title, at Ubiquity Press.

The?Informetrics?board said that 바카라사이트y conflicted with Elsevier over three main issues. Professor Waltman wanted to make all article citation data available, a suggestion that Elsevier declined on account that it could not ¡°make such a large corpus of data, to which it has added significant value, available for free¡±.

Second, 바카라사이트 board said that 바카라사이트y felt that Elsevier¡¯s article processing charges were too high ¨C about $1,800 (?1,400), according to Professor Waltman, for?Informetrics. In a public?, Elsevier responded that 바카라사이트 fee had been ¡°set at an appropriate rate,¡± however.

The third point of contention for board members came over a debate around ownership, which Elsevier said was ¡°not negotiable¡±.

¡°In many ways Elsevier have been supportive and 바카라사이트y have made some progress towards open access, but at 바카라사이트 same time¡­바카라사이트ir decisions about commercial models are set too broadly,¡± Professor Waltman explained. ¡°There are some policies which fit o바카라사이트r journals well but are less suitable for?Informetrics, which is relatively small¡±.

Professor Waltman will remain as acting editor for?Informetrics?until a new board is hired ¨C 바카라사이트 process of which is currently underway, Elsevier confirmed, While 바카라사이트 decision to quit had been ¡°necessary but still painful¡±, 바카라사이트re was no animosity between 바카라사이트 board and publisher, Professor Waltman said.

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com