Comments on: The academic journal publishing crisis: worse than a stack of National Geographic in the basement http://williamtozier.com/slurry/2005/10/22/the-academic-journal-publishing-crisis-worse-than-a-stack-of-national-geographic-in-the-basement Pontification without all the gritty gravitas Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:27:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Branko Collin http://williamtozier.com/slurry/2005/10/22/the-academic-journal-publishing-crisis-worse-than-a-stack-of-national-geographic-in-the-basement/comment-page-1#comment-153 Branko Collin Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:55:53 +0000 http://williamtozier.com/slurry/?p=144#comment-153 Weren't academic journals the prototype of interconnectedness? I seem to remember reading stories about the troubles the renaissance scientists went through simply to be heard. Academic journals always struck me as being a sort of fanzines, with a widely dispersed, highly specialized and interested audience. I don't see how that provides fertile ground for commercial publishers. Weren’t academic journals the prototype of interconnectedness? I seem to remember reading stories about the troubles the renaissance scientists went through simply to be heard.

Academic journals always struck me as being a sort of fanzines, with a widely dispersed, highly specialized and interested audience. I don’t see how that provides fertile ground for commercial publishers.

]]> By: Bill http://williamtozier.com/slurry/2005/10/22/the-academic-journal-publishing-crisis-worse-than-a-stack-of-national-geographic-in-the-basement/comment-page-1#comment-152 Bill Sun, 23 Oct 2005 11:26:19 +0000 http://williamtozier.com/slurry/?p=144#comment-152 Clearly they provided a much-eeded service, at a time when the world that was interested in reading scientific discourse was becoming more interconnected. Unfortunately for them, it seems we've become so interconnected that their channel no longer plays the same social role. You can ask a similar question about the railroad industry: We "moved back" to people choosing where and when to travel -- and away from collective routed coordinated mass transport -- between the 1920s and the 1950s (in the US). The railroad solved a problem, but soon the culture found an alternative more appealing. Clearly they provided a much-eeded service, at a time when the world that was interested in reading scientific discourse was becoming more interconnected. Unfortunately for them, it seems we’ve become so interconnected that their channel no longer plays the same social role.

You can ask a similar question about the railroad industry: We “moved back” to people choosing where and when to travel — and away from collective routed coordinated mass transport — between the 1920s and the 1950s (in the US). The railroad solved a problem, but soon the culture found an alternative more appealing.

]]> By: Branko Collin http://williamtozier.com/slurry/2005/10/22/the-academic-journal-publishing-crisis-worse-than-a-stack-of-national-geographic-in-the-basement/comment-page-1#comment-151 Branko Collin Sun, 23 Oct 2005 03:50:12 +0000 http://williamtozier.com/slurry/?p=144#comment-151 Ah, yet another initiative to, well, return to the good old days. If those days were so good, how come we have abandonned them? What was it that gave Elsevier and its ilk its enormous grip on the market for "scientific publications". Ah, yet another initiative to, well, return to the good old days. If those days were so good, how come we have abandonned them? What was it that gave Elsevier and its ilk its enormous grip on the market for “scientific publications”.

]]> By: Joseph j7uy5 http://williamtozier.com/slurry/2005/10/22/the-academic-journal-publishing-crisis-worse-than-a-stack-of-national-geographic-in-the-basement/comment-page-1#comment-144 Joseph j7uy5 Sat, 22 Oct 2005 14:03:46 +0000 http://williamtozier.com/slurry/?p=144#comment-144 I am glad to see that Penn is openly advocating the Open Access Movement. In fact, I am glad to see that the Movement has gathered enough momentum to be capitalized. They raise some good points. Science, technical and medical journals are starting to crowd out the other disciplines. I am glad to see that Penn is openly advocating the Open Access Movement. In fact, I am glad to see that the Movement has gathered enough momentum to be capitalized.

They raise some good points. Science, technical and medical journals are starting to crowd out the other disciplines.

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