This morning, I searched for an article about autism on JSTOR, the online database of academic journals. I have a child on the autistic spectrum, and I like to be aware of the latest research on the topic. I could not access any of the first 200 articles that contained the word "autism." That's because, for the most part, only individuals with a college ID card can read academic journal articles. Everyone else, including journalists, non-affiliated scholars, think tanks and curious individuals, must pay a substantial fee per article, if the articles are available at all.
I later found one article that was available for $38. I'm not sure why one twelve page article costs $38. It takes me about eight minutes to scan a twelve page article. The researcher receives no royalties. Why does it cost so much to read one article?
The answer lies in the antiquated system of academic publishing.
Click here to read this article from The Atlantic
Showing posts with label Publishers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Publishers. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Maney Publishing and Oxbow Books form journal publishing partnership
Extending a business relationship that has endured for many years, Oxbow will transfer its journal publishing operation to Maney Publishing effective from 2013. Primarily a publisher of books, Oxbow Books is a publisher, distributor and retail bookseller for everything on archaeology, prehistory, the Classical world, the Middle Ages, Egyptology, Near Eastern studies, and related environmental and heritage topics.
Maney benefits from Oxbow’s reach to core markets for the books and series it publishes on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund and the British Archaeological Association.
Recognising Maney’s success in building an international portfolio of journals, Oxbow Books is pleased to license to Maney its three journals Landscapes, the Journal of Wetland Archaeology and Childhood in the Past so that they achieve full exposure to a global, institutional library market and can be sold flexibly within the MORE (Maney Online Research E-journal) Archaeology & Heritage and History collections. Both companies have grown as a result of collaborative and cooperative business models, working with societies, professional organisations and institutes to provide a viable route to market. The move of Oxbow’s journals to Maney seals a partnership which both sides warmly welcome.
Maney‘s Publishing Manager for Humanities, Liz Rosindale, is pleased that these journals will join the fold because “apart from fitting our profile so well, enabling us to present more excellent scholarship to archaeologists and those involved in the heritage sector, we are delighted to extend our working relationship in a new venture with our friends at Oxbow”.
Oxbow’s Publishing Director, Clare Litt, is delighted with the new arrangements as "Maney has great strengths in journal publishing and a wealth of experience that will benefit our journals, enabling their subscriptions and profile to grow and we welcome the opportunity to work closely with Maney to our mutual benefit."
For more information about these titles visit www.maneypublishing.com
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Mysteries and Masterpieces: The latest stage in the “American conquest of the Middle Ages”
In 2011, Harvard University Press celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the Loeb Classical Library, the renowned series that presents accessible editions of ancient texts with English translations on the facing page. The covers of the Loebs—red for Latin literature, green for Greek—have become iconic, and generations of students and readers have found them the ideal way to access our classical heritage. In 2001, the press (HUP) launched a new series on the Loeb model, the I Tatti Renaissance Library, featuring Latin and vernacular texts from the fourteenth century and after. But between the latest Loeb—the works of the Venerable Bede, the English chronicler who lived in the seventh century C.E.—and the earliest I Tatti volume, there was a seven-century gap, representing an era of European history that is all too easily neglected: the Middle Ages.
The very term “Middle Ages,” in fact, implies that the period is significant merely as an interruption, or at best a transition, between the vital culture of the Greco-Roman world and the “rebirth” of that culture in the Renaissance. When the Middle Ages do come up in popular discourse, the terms are almost never complimentary. Last year, for instance, Cogan University Professor Stephen Greenblatt published his widely acclaimed book The Swerve, which tells the story of the Italian Renaissance’s rediscovery of the Roman poet Lucretius. Central to Greenblatt’s argument is the idea that the Renaissance represented a long-overdue return to reason and sanity after the long religious delirium of the Middle Ages, a time of “societies of flagellants and periodic bursts of mass hysteria.”
Click here to read this article from the Harvard Gazette
The very term “Middle Ages,” in fact, implies that the period is significant merely as an interruption, or at best a transition, between the vital culture of the Greco-Roman world and the “rebirth” of that culture in the Renaissance. When the Middle Ages do come up in popular discourse, the terms are almost never complimentary. Last year, for instance, Cogan University Professor Stephen Greenblatt published his widely acclaimed book The Swerve, which tells the story of the Italian Renaissance’s rediscovery of the Roman poet Lucretius. Central to Greenblatt’s argument is the idea that the Renaissance represented a long-overdue return to reason and sanity after the long religious delirium of the Middle Ages, a time of “societies of flagellants and periodic bursts of mass hysteria.”
Click here to read this article from the Harvard Gazette
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
New Publisher: Punctum Books offers outlet for non-conventional medievalists
A pair of medieval scholars have teamed to create a new publishing company that promises to offer interesting new insights into the Middle Ages.
punctum books is an open-access and print-on-demand publisher created by Eileen A. Joy of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and Nicola Masciandaro of Brooklyn College, CUNY. They explain that they will “specialize in neo-traditional and non-conventional scholarly work that productively twists and/or ignores academic norms, with an emphasis on books that fall length-wise between the article and the monograph—id est, novellas, in one sense or another. This is a space for the imp-orphans of your thought and pen, an ale-serving church for little vagabonds.”
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
punctum books is an open-access and print-on-demand publisher created by Eileen A. Joy of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and Nicola Masciandaro of Brooklyn College, CUNY. They explain that they will “specialize in neo-traditional and non-conventional scholarly work that productively twists and/or ignores academic norms, with an emphasis on books that fall length-wise between the article and the monograph—id est, novellas, in one sense or another. This is a space for the imp-orphans of your thought and pen, an ale-serving church for little vagabonds.”
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
Thursday, March 03, 2011
New Medieval Library Inaugurated
Members of the Harvard community gathered yesterday in the Barker Center to celebrate the inauguration of the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, a new translation series produced and distributed by Harvard University Press that will make the written achievements of medieval cultures more readily available to scholars and general readers in the English-speaking world.
The Medieval Library formally debuts with the publication of three works: a volume containing two separate manuscripts of secular Latin poetry, the full “Beowulf” manuscript, and The Pentateuch of Saint Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible paired with the 17th century Douay-Rheims translation.
Three more volumes are scheduled to be published later in the spring.
Click here to read this article from The Harvard Crimson
The Medieval Library formally debuts with the publication of three works: a volume containing two separate manuscripts of secular Latin poetry, the full “Beowulf” manuscript, and The Pentateuch of Saint Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible paired with the 17th century Douay-Rheims translation.
Three more volumes are scheduled to be published later in the spring.
Click here to read this article from The Harvard Crimson
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Witan Publishing offers epublishing service for medieval scholars
Witan Publishing, a new service to the medieval academic community, was launched yesterday. It aims to provide e-publishing of peer-reviewed scholarship in the field of medieval studies.
Witan’s goal is not merely to be another academic publisher, but is instead something much more ambitious: to change the way scholarly research is produced, distributed, and received. This new service will benefit scholars the most, freeing their work from the old market restrictions, distributing scholarship more widely, and putting texts within the budgets of even struggling graduate students.
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
Witan’s goal is not merely to be another academic publisher, but is instead something much more ambitious: to change the way scholarly research is produced, distributed, and received. This new service will benefit scholars the most, freeing their work from the old market restrictions, distributing scholarship more widely, and putting texts within the budgets of even struggling graduate students.
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
Monday, February 07, 2011
New Prize for Irish Medieval Studies
Scholars working on medieval history in Ireland can now compete for the best peer-reviewed essay/article in their field. Four Courts Press and the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies have launched the inaugural Four Courts Press Michael Adams Prize in Irish Medieval Studies.
This prize, which will be presented at the 46th International Congress on Medieval Studies, will be awarded for the best peer-reviewed essay/article on Irish Medieval Studies published in a book or journal during the previous calendar year. For the first year’s prize, which will be awarded in May 2011, the prize will be awarded for the best peer-reviewed essay/article published in a book or journal during the period 2006–2010. It is only open to members of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies (ASIMS) and entries must be submitted by February 25th.
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
This prize, which will be presented at the 46th International Congress on Medieval Studies, will be awarded for the best peer-reviewed essay/article on Irish Medieval Studies published in a book or journal during the previous calendar year. For the first year’s prize, which will be awarded in May 2011, the prize will be awarded for the best peer-reviewed essay/article published in a book or journal during the period 2006–2010. It is only open to members of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies (ASIMS) and entries must be submitted by February 25th.
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
Monday, October 04, 2010
Fired ND Press director plans to sue university
The former director of the University of Notre Dame Press, Barbara Hanrahan, plans to sue the university for her June 2010 dismissal.
Hanrahan became director of the press in 1999. Before coming to Notre Dame, she also worked at the University of Chicago Press and as director of the Ohio State University Press.
Citing the upcoming lawsuit, Hanrahan declined to comment on any aspect of her employment at the university.
As was the case for former Director of Hesburgh Libraries Jennifer Younger, who left the University in May 2010, Hanrahan’s position was overseen by Assistant Provost C. Ohmer. Ohmer declined to comment on the firing or provide an indication of when a new director will be appointed, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.
Click here to read the article from the Irish Rover
Hanrahan became director of the press in 1999. Before coming to Notre Dame, she also worked at the University of Chicago Press and as director of the Ohio State University Press.
Citing the upcoming lawsuit, Hanrahan declined to comment on any aspect of her employment at the university.
As was the case for former Director of Hesburgh Libraries Jennifer Younger, who left the University in May 2010, Hanrahan’s position was overseen by Assistant Provost C. Ohmer. Ohmer declined to comment on the firing or provide an indication of when a new director will be appointed, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.
Click here to read the article from the Irish Rover
Monday, March 22, 2010
Brill posts increased profits for 2009
The academic publisher Brill earned €2.1 million in profit in the last year, which they attribute to lower operational costs and strong sales of its online products. The Dutch based publisher is one of the largest publishers of academic materials in the field of medieval studies.
In a press release, Brill said they had a "solid performance in 2009" with €26.1 million in revenue, compared to €25.7 the previous year. In 2008, Brill only had a profit of €0.2 million.
While sales of print books decline by 4% in 2009, electronic materials increased by 34% over the year, and now makes up 21% of total sales. The publisher said in their report that while the number of books they are printing has remained stable, "less favorable expectations for new books forced the company to scrutinize new projects and implement policies to use printing on demand and reduce inventory. Special focus was on the sale of electronic books, foremost in the context of subject collections."
Brill expects to continue to grow its collection of reference works, such as the Encyclopaedia of Islam and its 135 journals, which include Medieval Encounters and Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. They hope that their efforts on putting more and more content in electronic form will keep the company healthy if print sales continue to fall.
The report also notes that "during the year the painful decision was made to reduce headcount by ten percent and implement cost cutting measures in light of disappointing sales. Thanks to the flexible and constructive attitude of its employees the organization has successfully met its strategic and operational goals and returned to solid profitability."
They believe that they will remain profitable in 2010, but add "the financial and economic crisis for the library market globally is still hard to predict."
Brill, which based in Leiden, Netherlands, celebrated its 325th anniversary in 2008. It has been one of the most important publishers of medieval studies books for several decades, producing dozens of volumes each year.
Click here to read their press release with more details about their performance in 2009.
In a press release, Brill said they had a "solid performance in 2009" with €26.1 million in revenue, compared to €25.7 the previous year. In 2008, Brill only had a profit of €0.2 million.
While sales of print books decline by 4% in 2009, electronic materials increased by 34% over the year, and now makes up 21% of total sales. The publisher said in their report that while the number of books they are printing has remained stable, "less favorable expectations for new books forced the company to scrutinize new projects and implement policies to use printing on demand and reduce inventory. Special focus was on the sale of electronic books, foremost in the context of subject collections."
Brill expects to continue to grow its collection of reference works, such as the Encyclopaedia of Islam and its 135 journals, which include Medieval Encounters and Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. They hope that their efforts on putting more and more content in electronic form will keep the company healthy if print sales continue to fall.
The report also notes that "during the year the painful decision was made to reduce headcount by ten percent and implement cost cutting measures in light of disappointing sales. Thanks to the flexible and constructive attitude of its employees the organization has successfully met its strategic and operational goals and returned to solid profitability."
They believe that they will remain profitable in 2010, but add "the financial and economic crisis for the library market globally is still hard to predict."
Brill, which based in Leiden, Netherlands, celebrated its 325th anniversary in 2008. It has been one of the most important publishers of medieval studies books for several decades, producing dozens of volumes each year.
Click here to read their press release with more details about their performance in 2009.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Brill introduces Journal Open Access Service: Brill Open
Brill, a prominent scholarly publisher in the medieval studies, has announced the launch of Brill Open. This new author service offers the option of making articles freely available upon publication. Brill Open enables authors to comply with research funding bodies and institutions which require open access.
The Brill Open option will be available for all 135 journals published under the imprints Brill, Martinus Nijhoff and VSP. Articles will be put in online open access in exchange for an article publishing fee to be arranged by the author.
Sam Bruinsma, Brill’s Business Development Director, explains: ‘We are launching this new service in answer to a growing number of research funding bodies and universities announcing their compliance with the open access model. With Brill Open our journals are ready to meet the expected increase in contributions under this model.’
In order to ensure that authors' funder requirements have no influence on the editorial peer review and decision-making, Brill Open will be made available to authors only upon acceptance of their paper for publication. Those authors who do not wish to use this service will be under no pressure to do so, and their accepted article will be published in the usual manner.
Brill’s strategic intent is to adjust the future subscription price of a journal to reflect an increase in Brill Open fees. Sam Bruinsma comments: ‘Our view on open access developments is positive. We accept that over time an increasing part of our revenues will come through this new model. This will have an impact on the revenues from our library subscription service. The combination of these two business models will continue to support a healthy and sustainable journal program attractive to the best authors in the field.’
For more details about Brill Open and Brill’s open access policy, please go to www.brill.nl/openaccess.
The Brill Open option will be available for all 135 journals published under the imprints Brill, Martinus Nijhoff and VSP. Articles will be put in online open access in exchange for an article publishing fee to be arranged by the author.
Sam Bruinsma, Brill’s Business Development Director, explains: ‘We are launching this new service in answer to a growing number of research funding bodies and universities announcing their compliance with the open access model. With Brill Open our journals are ready to meet the expected increase in contributions under this model.’
In order to ensure that authors' funder requirements have no influence on the editorial peer review and decision-making, Brill Open will be made available to authors only upon acceptance of their paper for publication. Those authors who do not wish to use this service will be under no pressure to do so, and their accepted article will be published in the usual manner.
Brill’s strategic intent is to adjust the future subscription price of a journal to reflect an increase in Brill Open fees. Sam Bruinsma comments: ‘Our view on open access developments is positive. We accept that over time an increasing part of our revenues will come through this new model. This will have an impact on the revenues from our library subscription service. The combination of these two business models will continue to support a healthy and sustainable journal program attractive to the best authors in the field.’
For more details about Brill Open and Brill’s open access policy, please go to www.brill.nl/openaccess.
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