Advances in scientific and scholarly research are vital drivers of economic prosperity and societal well being. But progress depends on scientists and scholars being able to share and build on one another’s work. Well-documented and mounting problems in the academic publishing marketplace pose a threat to researchers’ ability to rapidly and effectively respond to the ever-more-complex challenges we face today.
Studies have shown that increased concentration in the publishing industry has been accompanied by significant escalation in the price of serials publications, eroding libraries’ ability to provide users with the publications they need. Exacerbating the problem are new online bundling practices, whereby multiple products are sold as a single package—precluding customer choice and locking subscribers into expensive multi-year contracts for materials they may not need or want.
These problems are impediments to the advancement of knowledge. In a healthy academic publishing market, competitive forces will ensure fair pricing and keep marketing practices in check. Small and large publishers can compete on a level playing field and a wide range of new entrants can be supported.