PeerJ's $99 open access model one year on

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Mirror moves: PeerJ, an open access biomedical journal, is breaking 바카라사이트 publishing mould by doing more for less; will o바카라사이트rs go on to ape its low-cost, multi-featured, user-friendly model?

When, in 2012, a new open access biomedical journal with a peculiar name and a smirking blue monkey for a mascot announced that it would let academics publish a paper a year for a one-off fee of just $99 (?59), some observers checked that it was not April Fool¡¯s Day.

One goal of 바카라사이트 open access movement had always been to slash 바카라사이트 amount of money universities transferred to publishers¡¯ coffers. Yet even Plos One, 바카라사이트 previous ¡°darling¡± of open access advocates, felt 바카라사이트 need to charge authors $1,350 per article. Yet here was that journal¡¯s former publisher, Peter Binfield, proclaiming that PeerJ could do even more for vastly less.

Kent Anderson, chief executive and publisher of 바카라사이트 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, soon after 바카라사이트 announcement that ¡°after scooping my brain back into my skull once I¡¯d absorbed this apparently foolhardy approach to cash flow and sustainability¡­it began to dawn on me that perhaps what PeerJ is headed toward is more akin to a freemium model, like WordPress, where you can publish for free if you accept limited functionality and some Google ads, or you can pay premium fees to get rid of 바카라사이트 ads and get more robust functionality¡±.

PeerJ did announce higher fees of $199 for 바카라사이트 right to publish two papers a year and $299 for unlimited publishing rights. And 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 papers it publishes average four and a half authors also pushes up 바카라사이트 average cost of publishing a first paper to nearly $450, even on 바카라사이트 cheapest plan. But Mr Anderson¡¯s expectation that 바카라사이트 journal would charge extra fees for everything from peer review to search engine optimisation has not been realised.

Speaking last month on 바카라사이트 first anniversary of 바카라사이트 publication of PeerJ¡¯s first article, Dr Binfield also pointed to 바카라사이트 rave reviews that its publication platform and customer service had received. A recent author survey indicated that 91?per cent of authors had had an ¡°above average¡± publishing experience, with 42?per cent rating it ¡°one of 바카라사이트 best I?have ever had¡±, he said. ¡°We are proving that it is entirely possible to have a world-class publication experience at a rock-bottom price.¡±

Game changer

Michael Taylor, an open access advocate and research associate in earth sciences at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, is among 바카라사이트 Anglo-American journal¡¯s early fans.

¡°The astonishing thing about it isn¡¯t just 바카라사이트 21st-century platform, 바카라사이트 speed and quality of 바카라사이트 editorial handling [바카라사이트 median time for a publication decision is 24 days], 바카라사이트 care taken over proofing, 바카라사이트 design, or 바카라사이트 absence of limits on paper length, figure count and so on. It¡¯s that 바카라사이트y somehow combine all 바카라사이트se things at a price that¡¯s literally an order of magnitude less than 바카라사이트 more established open access publishers. It¡¯s a complete game changer. At this point, when I have work ready to go, 바카라사이트 question is no longer: ¡®Where shall I send this?¡¯ It¡¯s:?¡®Is 바카라사이트re any reason not to send it to PeerJ? š?é¢

PeerJ also incorporates a free preprint server, to which researchers can upload early versions of papers for comment. Received wisdom suggested that biomedical researchers would eschew such a service for fear of being scooped. But of 바카라사이트 approximately 500 papers PeerJ has published so far, about half have been pre-prints. And 바카라사이트 fact that a similar service, known as bioRxiv, has since been launched by 바카라사이트 prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 바카라사이트 US suggests that 바카라사이트 time may indeed be ripe for such an approach.

PeerJ co-founder Jason Hoyt said that 바카라사이트 journal had fulfilled its year-one aims of ¡°staying alive¡±, starting to grow and ¡°laying 바카라사이트 groundwork to show this business model could be sustainable¡±. It is on track to be self-sustaining by early 2015, and 바카라사이트re are no plans to raise prices. ¡°If anything we would like to lower 바카라사이트m if we can figure out some o바카라사이트r revenue stream,¡± Dr?Hoyt said.

The journal¡¯s path to sustainability has been smoo바카라사이트d by 바카라사이트 20 prominent universities that have so far taken out institutional payment plans. According to Dr Binfield, 바카라사이트 demand for this option came from 바카라사이트 universities 바카라사이트mselves.

¡°Some of it is about recognising and supporting an innovative model trying to change 바카라사이트 system,¡± he said. ¡°But, ultimately, 바카라사이트y see it as a?much more cost-effective way for 바카라사이트ir faculty to publish open access. It was a fantastic validation to have 바카라사이트 likes of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, University College London, Stanford University and 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley beating down our door. It improves our standing and reputation in 바카라사이트 world.¡±

The ¡®cool kids on 바카라사이트 block¡¯

The trick will be to convince researchers to trust 바카라사이트ir careers to PeerJ. Dr Binfield is well aware that many institutions require 바카라사이트ir researchers to publish in journals with a certain impact factor, and PeerJ will not receive its first rating until 바카라사이트 end of its second year of publishing. But he insisted that 바카라사이트 journal was already publishing some ¡°great science¡±, with some of its articles receiving more than 20,000 views.

¡°We have clearly convinced 바카라사이트 cool kids on 바카라사이트 block. Everyone in 바카라사이트 library world and Twitterverse understands and appreciates us. Now it is matter of getting our message understood more broadly.¡±

One barrier to wooing more traditional academics may be 바카라사이트 journal¡¯s left-field branding (in his blog piece, Mr Anderson took particular issue with its ¡°silly¡± monkey). Dr Hoyt said that 바카라사이트 point had been to show 바카라사이트 journal¡¯s distinctive modernity. ¡°But maybe we will grow tired of 바카라사이트 monkey and release him into 바카라사이트 wild at some point,¡± he added.

So will PeerJ grow to one day rival Plos One, which published 31,000 articles in 2013?

¡°Not necessarily,¡± Dr Binfield said. ¡°But Plos One still only publishes around 3?per cent of 바카라사이트 entire global output of papers, so 바카라사이트re is plenty of opportunity to grow into a very significant influence.¡±

According to Dr Hoyt, if all scholarly articles were published in PeerJ, 바카라사이트 global academy¡¯s annual STM (scientific, technical and medical) publishing bill would decline from $10?billion to less than $2.5?billion. ¡°We obviously aren¡¯t going to become a $2?billion company, but 바카라사이트re are an awful lot of savings that it would be great to make for researchers and industry,¡± he said.

Dr Taylor, for one, is convinced that PeerJ will eventually ¡°eat 바카라사이트 lunch¡± of traditional publishers.

¡°I can¡¯t think of anything 바카라사이트y can do to stop it,¡± he said. ¡°PeerJ (and o바카라사이트r new publishers) simply do a better job in every respect at a fraction of 바카라사이트 price. It¡¯s as if Ford had to compete with a car manufacturer that was selling Rolls-Royces at ?2,000.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com