Re: Self-Archiving and Journal Subscriptions: Critique of PRC Study

From: Stevan Harnad <harnad_at_ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 02:56:03 +0100

On Mon, 14 May 2007, Peter Banks wrote:

> The possibility approaches zero that journals threatened by Green
> OA will convert to Gold OA

Then if Green ever does make subscriptions unsustainable, titles
will simply migrate to publishers who *are* willing to convert to Gold.
But the point is that we will already have 100% OA -- Green OA.

> Societies also... train.... scientists and
> clinicians, award...research grants, creat[e]...
> public awareness and education programs, and many other
> activities. To the extent that societies fund such programs
> through net income from publications, as long as subscriptions
> are not unduly expensive nor embargoes excessively long, they are
> serving their constituents and the public optimally.

Now ask the authors of those articles whether they wish to subsidise
Societies' good works with their own lost research usage and impact
(or let them the good works find other ways to subsidise themselves).

Subscriptions can continue for as long as they are sustainable, but
not at the price of blocking or embargoing research usage and impact.
That's what Green OA mandates are meant to remedy.

> Yes, publishing is undergoing rapid transformation....but not in
> any significant sense toward Gold OA.

I agree. I promote the mandating of Green OA by the research community;
transforming to Gold OA is up to the publishing community.

Stevan Harnad
Received on Tue May 15 2007 - 03:57:46 BST