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- Title
Personal View.
- Authors
Dryburgh, Alastair
- Abstract
This article reflects on the concept and economics of open access in learned publishing. The strategic design of the open access project is becoming more refined, more flexible and more credible. After the increase in the number of publishing titles, an interesting point to emerge was the development of alternative strategies. Strategy expert Michael Porter maintains that there are three generic strategies. In 2003, the discussion of open access was focused on the promotion of cost leadership strategy. In 2004, differentiation, an alternative strategy has emerged. In this strategy, one does not aspire to be the cheapest, but to be superior, thereby commanding a premium price, which supports higher costs. This is clearly the approach of the Public Library of Science journals, which charge authors $1,500 per article. One interesting point was the transition. Given the relatively unstable economics, existing publishers' reliance on high margins and huge coordination problems involved, there are likely to be few volunteers from the ranks of existing publishers. To sum up, open access is moving forward. The economics still need to work, and will depend on publishers being able to establish per-article fees, which compensate them for the cost of their value added.
- Subjects
PUBLISHING; SCHOLARLY publishing; SCHOLARLY method; PORTER, Michael; INFORMATION resources management
- Publication
Learned Publishing, 2004, Vol 17, Issue 1, p69
- ISSN
0953-1513
- Publication type
Article