Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
ticles, and similar functions). The cost of this type of a journal to the publisher
is calculated to be zero
[7]
.
26
2. The “Association with a single e-journal.” The assumption here is that the jour-
nal is a paper replacement journal that is published periodically with 7 to 8
articles per issue. The journal is published by an association as part of member
services and is funded from member fees paid to the association. The estimated
costs to publish such a journal are $5,500 per issue
[7]
.
3. “Association with Multiple Journals.” This model is similar to the previous
model with the exception that the association offers a combination of paper and
electronic journals. The total cost estimated for the paper journals is $28,000
per issue while the total estimated cost for the electronic journal is (same as
above) $5,500 per issue
[7]
. The differences in cost are in the operation func-
tions (e.g., editing,
27
producing, and distribution).
4. The “For-profit Publisher with a Subscription Based Access.” The for-profit
organization can be a commercial publisher or a subsidiary of a professional
society that expects to profit from its journals.
28
The journal is assumed to be
a “hybrid” journal that is published periodically with 7 to 8 articles per issue.
Hard copies are available to subscribers while electronic versions are avail-
able on the WWW. The total estimated cost to publish this type of a journal
is $34,250 per issue
[7]
. The main difference in cost is in the publisher's in-
vestments in marketing, brand name and content protection. Considering the
importance of prestige for the scholarly community—these tasks should not be
taken lightly and will be discussed later (Section
6
).
Clarke's
[7]
results are consistent with prior studies (for example,
[40,48,59,27]
).
Although the production and distribution costs of e-journals is lower than the pro-
duction and distribution costs of paper journals, the skills required to maintain the
infrastructure and post the articles online are greater than those of traditional pro-
duction. E-journals may also reduce costs by transferring work to their editors and
authors or, for non-commercial journals, eliminating some of the administrative and
marketing functions that traditional, commercial publishers perform. The impact of
this transfer of duties, on scholars, editors, and other stakeholders is discussed in
Section
6
.
26
The actual costs are paid for by the hosting organization or via monetary or equipment donations.
27
Clarkes
[7]
analysis assumes that the editing function is transferred to the senior scholars and therefore
is free of cost.
28
Studies show that most professional societies journal ventures are not profitable
[59]
.
