RE: Clarification on misquotation of figure from OSI Guide

["David Prosser" <david.prosser@bodley.ox.ac.uk>]

For those who find this discussion rather abstract, the (uncorrected)
transcript of the first evidence session of the UK Science and Technology
Committee into scientific publishing gives us some hard facts:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmsctech/uc39
9-i/uc39902.htm

In answer to the question (No. 35) 'what is the cost to you of publishing
an article, and what is the price you charge for that article?' Bob
Campbell tells us that Blackwell receive =A31250 in revenue per article.  
That includes all print and online costs, profit to Blackwell (of about
15%), and royalties to societies (where the societies own the journals).  
Richard Charkin answers that the figures are 'more of less' the same for
the Nature Publishing Group journals (with the exception of Nature
itself).

David C Prosser PhD
Director, SPARC Europe
E-mail:  david.prosser@bodley.ox.ac.uk
Tel:       +44 (0) 1865 284 451
Mobile:  +44 (0) 7974 673 888
http://www.sparceurope.org

-----Original Message-----
From: David Prosser [mailto:david.prosser@bodley.ox.ac.uk]=20
Sent: 04 March 2004 17:41
To: 'Sally Morris (ALPSP)'; 'alpsp-discuss@mailbase.org.uk';
Subject: RE: Clarification on misquotation of figure from OSI Guide

Sally

I'm afraid that I don't understand your first sentence.  What I do know
is that the guide authors did not want to mislead readers and that is
why they described the figure as a 'hypothetical example', a 'sample
author fee projection' and a 'simple illustration'.

They did not describe the figure as an 'estimate of the average cost of
publishing a paper across all journals' or even as a 'figure for a
single journal'.  Unfortunately it is being quoted as such and that is
why there was felt to be a need to issue a clarification.

Nobody at OSI, SPARC or SPARC Europe is 'backing off' from the figure in
the business guide for the simple reason that none of us every put it
forward as an example of the real costs of publishing a paper!

Our rational approach to costs would be to agree with you that (as you
have pointed on other occasions) there are a wide range of estimates of
the costs associated with the publication of an article.  It is
important that these costs are examined carefully, but throwing a
hypothetical example into the mix does nothing to clarify the issues.

David C Prosser PhD
E-mail:  david.prosser@bodley.ox.ac.uk