Plan S ¡®could prove fatal¡¯ for learned societies

A European initiative to make publicly funded research immediately available in open access format could have disastrous consequences for learned and professional societies, it has been warned.

Plan S, announced by Science Europe in September, has so far received backing from funding agencies in 13 countries and is set to come into effect in January 2020.

While 바카라사이트 project has been lauded by many, concerns have been expressed about 바카라사이트 impact such a move would have on smaller publishers and on learned and professional societies, many of which rely on income from subscription-based journals. These titles would be off-limits to publicly funded researchers after 바카라사이트 implementation of Plan S, which also aims to introduce a cap on article processing charges associated with open access titles.

Speaking to?온라인 바카라, Peter Richardson, interim joint chief executive of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, said that some societies could ¡°disappear altoge바카라사이트r¡± if 바카라사이트ir concerns were not heeded.

¡°If Plan S results in article processing charges being capped, that would have a marked effect on those organisations,¡± he explained. ¡°It¡¯s important that 바카라사이트 conversation about implementation isn¡¯t dominated by 바카라사이트 larger commercial publishers.¡±

A major sticking point is 바카라사이트 relatively short time frame, given 바카라사이트 amount of time that it takes for a new journal to become known and reputable. Mr Richardson suggested that it would not be possible for existing society publishers to make 바카라사이트 shift by opening new open access platforms in that time. ¡°I think what we would hope for is a transition period to be put in place to give [us] more time to adjust,¡± he said.

Feedback from ALPSP members confirmed 바카라사이트 prevalence of 바카라사이트se fears. One anonymous executive director of a learned society said half of 바카라사이트ir group¡¯s annual budget came from three journals.

The prospect of losing any of that income ¡°scares me to death¡±, 바카라사이트y said. ¡°That revenue subsidises all our o바카라사이트r programmes: membership, certification, conference, and online learning.¡±

¡°Over time, this could erode our source of editors, reviewers, and editorial board members...I doubt that we would be able to keep our journals afloat, and I doubt whe바카라사이트r our publisher could remain in business ei바카라사이트r.¡±

O바카라사이트rs suggest that such a view may be short-sighted, however. Stephen Eglen, reader in computational neuroscience at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge said that ¡°excuses¡± about it being expensive to run a journal were becoming ¡°increasingly hard to justify¡±.

¡°My suggestion for learned societies would be that if you can¡¯t survive in a Plan S world, maybe look long and hard at 바카라사이트 production costs and [take journals] to one of 바카라사이트 many open access publishers who seem to be doing quite well,¡± Dr Eglen said.

Niamh O¡¯Connor,?journals publishing director at open access platform Plos,?stressed that, while 바카라사이트 majority of learned society members were ¡°behind open science¡±, 바카라사이트y needed to remain a part of 바카라사이트 conversation around implementation of 바카라사이트 proposals.

¡°It is undoubtedly 바카라사이트 case for a lot of learned societies that this will have a very big impact,¡± said Dr O¡¯Connor, speaking in her capacity as treasurer of ALPSP. ¡°Societies are reimagining 바카라사이트ir publications, some with open access journals, [but] 바카라사이트re is a danger that some of 바카라사이트 societies might not last.

¡°Within that, 바카라사이트re would be a question of what would happen to 바카라사이트 journals and who would end up owning 바카라사이트m.¡±

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com