Medieval History
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
- 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...
- 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...
- Opening Access To Academia
Unofficial open access logo Originally created by Public Library of ScienceA few months ago, I needed to supply a writing sample for a fellowship application. I thought that I had just the thing: an article published earlier that year that showed my interest...
- Against Academic Journals: Opening Thoughts
Some thoughts. Budgets suck, especially when they're being cut. We're being socked, which really shouldn't be that big of a surprise, given every state's financial situation -- ours included. But, now having served on a library committee,...
- Central European Journal Anniversaries
There are several international journals dedicated to medieval art, just as there are many dedicated to Hungarian art historical research. In this post I would like to call attention to two journals which may be not as widely known, but both of which...
Medieval History
Locked in the Ivory Tower: Why JSTOR Imprisons Academic Research
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
- 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...
- 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...
- Opening Access To Academia
Unofficial open access logo Originally created by Public Library of ScienceA few months ago, I needed to supply a writing sample for a fellowship application. I thought that I had just the thing: an article published earlier that year that showed my interest...
- Against Academic Journals: Opening Thoughts
Some thoughts. Budgets suck, especially when they're being cut. We're being socked, which really shouldn't be that big of a surprise, given every state's financial situation -- ours included. But, now having served on a library committee,...
- Central European Journal Anniversaries
There are several international journals dedicated to medieval art, just as there are many dedicated to Hungarian art historical research. In this post I would like to call attention to two journals which may be not as widely known, but both of which...