I just checked, and ESA charges nonsubscribers $20 for a single article published in the December 2011 issue of Ecology. How is that reasonable? And I'm no business maven, but isn't that far past the optimal price point in terms of revenue generation? I could see paying $2 or $3 for an article if I was an infrequent reader, but $20?
There's a good blog post on what alternatives publishers might support at < http://researchremix.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/what-should-the-publishers-lobby-for/ >. Jane Shevtsov On Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 9:08 PM, M.S. Patterson <[email protected]>wrote: > Here's an additional opinion on the matter, and it is rather less > charitable: > http://phylogenomics.blogspot.**com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-** > ecological-society-of-america.**html?utm_source=feedburner&** > utm_medium=twitter&utm_**campaign=Feed%3A+**TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+* > *Life%29<http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-ecological-society-of-america.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+Life%29>< > http://phylogenomics.**blogspot.com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-** > ecological-society-of-america.**html?utm_source=feedburner&** > utm_medium=twitter&utm_**campaign=Feed%3A+**TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+* > *Life%29<http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-ecological-society-of-america.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+Life%29> > > > > The fact that ESA forces authors to cede the copyright to their work is > offensive, IMO, even if they 'grant' the author reprint or reproduction > rights. It also means that ESA could choose to rewrite their rules such > that authors could lose rights to reprint or reproduce their own work. > Academic publishers should be granted first printing rights, with the > option to acquire additional rights at a later date, as they desire. > Nothing more. As it currently stands, ESA's policy is essentially > treating research articles as work-made-for-hire, which is ludicrous, given > that authors must pay page charges to print the work! In essence > researchers are paying to have their work printed, while ceding all of > their rights to the publisher in the process. > > Further, I don't think anyone is suggesting that ESA should be denied all > subscription fees (or page fees), but simply that papers should become > available publicly over time, and that any research funded by public monies > should be available to the public sooner rather than later. Which is > entirely reasonable, and more than likely beneficial to the public. > > -m > > > On 1/5/2012 12:33 AM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: > >> Fellow Ecologgers, >> >> Have people read ESA's response to a proposed requirement that the results >> of federally funded research be publicly available, possibly after an >> embargo period? It's available here. >> http://www.esa.org/pao/**policyStatements/Letters/** >> ESAResponsetoPublicAccessRFI20**11.pdf<http://www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/Letters/ESAResponsetoPublicAccessRFI2011.pdf> >> >> I have to say I find this response somewhat disappointing. While some of >> the concerns raised in it are certainly valid, I believe it underestimates >> ecologists' desire to read an interesting new paper now rather than later. >> Also, kudos to ESA for allowing authors to freely post their papers >> online, >> something I relied on when I didn't have university journal access, but >> how >> is this financially different from open access? ESA's 2009 financial >> statement (the latest available online) may be of interest. >> http://www.esa.org/aboutesa/**docs/FS2009.pdf<http://www.esa.org/aboutesa/docs/FS2009.pdf> >> >> Thoughts? >> >> Jane Shevtsov >> >> > > -- > Matt Patterson > MSES/MPA 2012 > Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs > Center for the study of Institutions, Population and Environmental Change > (CIPEC) > Room 226A | 408 N Indiana Ave | Bloomington, IN 47408-3799 > Environmentally Scientific Emblogulations <http://env-sci-blog.blogspot.** > com <http://env-sci-blog.blogspot.com>> > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
