Re: Garfield: "Acknowledged Self-Archiving...

From: David Goodman <dgoodman_at_PHOENIX.PRINCETON.EDU>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 18:54:43 -0400

I certainly agree with Albert that
the critical role of a publisher is to
appoint an editor. Everything else about the
publication's quality depends on the manuscripts the editor can
acquire and the standards the editor sets.

So why do publishers make large profits, while editors merely receive
office expense reimbursement?

On Thu,
12 Sep 2002, Albert Henderson wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Sep 2002, Stevan Harnad wrote:
>
> > Publishers are essential contributors to the implementation of peer
> > review, but their art and skill does not lie in the making of the
> > judgments. Those judgments are made by the peer-reviewers --
> > researchers who give away their services for free, just as the authors
> > are researchers who give away their research papers for free.
>
> Publishers recruit and train editors. Publishers
> may also support editors' office, meeting, and
> travel expenses.
>
> Editors recruit referees, solicit their
> advice and evaluate their reports.
>
> No automated server can ever replace editors,
> publishers, and their active approach to
> critical prepublication review.
>
> It is far more likely that the availability
> of preprints will become another excuse for
> backoffice budget misers to force the
> cancellation of more subscriptions.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Albert Henderson
> Former Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 1994-2000
> <70244.1532_at_compuserve.com>
>

David Goodman
Research Librarian and
Biological Sciences Bibliographer
Princeton University Library
dgoodman_at_princeton.edu 609-258-7785
Received on Thu Sep 12 2002 - 23:54:43 BST