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> No, you're paying Elsevier to digitize, index, catalogue, and host publicly funded research. None of that is free. So why aren't those services let out for c
by olefoo 14y ago
> No, you're paying Elsevier to digitize, index, catalogue, and host publicly funded research. None of that is free.
So why aren't those services let out for competitive bid?
The agreements that were made in the past have severe negative externalities in the present environment. They must be renegotiated. We should not live in a feudal society where mere tradition grants a divine right of monopoly to publicly funded goods.
- rayiner 14y agoAs far as I can tell, it's not tradition that gives Elsevier its monopoly, it's simple network effect. It's the same reason you use Facebook or Google Chat instead of something else--by publishing on an Elsevier-affiliated journal, your academic work reaches the most eyeballs.
- betterunix 14y ago"by publishing on an Elsevier-affiliated journal, your academic work reaches the most eyeballs." No, by publishing freely on the Internet, without any paywall between readers and your article, your academic work reaches the most eyeballs. Publishing in a journal that is locked behind paywalls is one of the least efficient ways to communicate one's work to others. The only issue is that doing so does not help anyone's career, and failing to publish in major journals is fatal to such careers.