> You can't tell me all of them are government funded. The majority are. A minority (<<1% to ~30% depending on field) were (also) funded by private grants and

> You can't tell me all of them are government funded. The majority are. A minority (<<1% to ~30% depending on field) were (also) funded by private grants and industry. In all three cases, the institution funding the research will receive 0 compensation from the journal if you pay $30+ for a paper. It all goes to the journal and its 40%+ profit margin. "But why don't competing journals steal their business?" Because the top few journals are the de-facto clearinghouses and ratings-providers for academics. If you are an academic who values his career, you will pay what they ask.