I think the report (at http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/images/costs_business_7955.pdf) needs to be read rather carefully
The cost figures are not new, but make sensible use of previously published figures (whether or not these have been updated to current values I am not sure); the separation of 'per submission' and 'per publication' costs is, I think, particularly valuable. However, there are two big flaws. The first is that the author compares a print + electronic subscription journal with an electronic-only open access journal. Most of the 30% savings identified lie in the difference between p+e and e-only - as the author says, any savings from no longer needing to handle and sells subscriptions/licences will be offset, at least to a degree, by the need for a system to charge authors. The sources on which the author draws have set the e-only savings at 20-25%. (Of course, if an OA journal still finds it necessary to produce a print version, some of these savings will not be made) The second flaw is that, despite frequent reminders in the text that the figures quoted are merely direct per-article costs, and that a figure must be added (a) for overheads and (b) for profit/surplus, the author himself fails to do so and quotes his 'cost' figures as being appropriate for author charges. One actually needs to add some 30% for overheads and 15% for profit/surplus in order to arrive at a viable author charge. Sally Morris, Chief Executive Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers South House, The Street, Clapham, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3UU, UK Phone: +44 (0)1903 871686 Fax: +44 (0)1903 871457 E-mail: [email protected] ALPSP Website http://www.alpsp.org
