News announcement from OUP

["GOODE, Rachel" <rachel.goode@oupjournals.org>]

Subscribers to this list may find the following news announcement from
Oxford Journals of interest.

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Release Date: Thursday 7 October 2004

New Pricing Study Sheds Light on Journals Pricing

A new report published today by LISU, based at Loughborough University,
offers some valuable insights into scholarly journals pricing over the
last decade. Amongst the findings are average price increases by publisher
ranging from 27% to 94% over the period 2000-2004, and biomedical journal
prices per page ranging from �0.31 (approx. $0.55) to �0.98 (approx.
$1.75) in 2004 (average by publisher).

The report was originally commissioned by Oxford Journals, a division of
Oxford University Press, as part of its desire to better understand what
has commonly been described as "the serials crisis". "There is much debate
and conjecture within scholarly publishing surrounding the issue of
pricing," commented Richard Gedye, Oxford Journals Sales Director and
driving force behind the report's commissioning. "We felt that in the
absence of any other such studies, it would be timely to invest in some
quantitative data. LISU was appointed to carry out this work based on
their reputation for excellence and objectivity. As such they have
provided us with a very comprehensive report about journals pricing
trends, the findings of which both LISU and Oxford Journals are happy to
share with the academic community and industry at large."

As part of the survey LISU analysed data from twelve named scholarly
publishers, including OUP, taken over a 5-year period (2000 -2004), plus
1993 as a base year for comparison. General analysis was carried out on
around 6000 journals spanning all subject areas, then detailed analysis
focused on identifying average journal prices, per page and per impact
factor point on Biomedical titles. Oxford Journals was encouraged by its
place in the overall picture.  For the analysis on biomedical journals
from 2001-2004 Oxford Journals displayed both the lowest median price per
page and also the second highest rate of growth in impact factor values
(47%). These statistics suggest that Oxford Journals is achieving its
objective to provide access to top quality research at a fair price.

Eric Davies, Director of LISU, remarked "Serials continue to be a key
component of scholarly communication and their pricing and affordability
is a major preoccupation for those who create and use them. The Report
represents a great deal of hard work in collating and analysing data to
establish some objective information to inform the current debate on
serials. Although it represents a snapshot of only part of the entire
serials landscape, it does provide the basis for further investigation and
discussion on this important topic. We were delighted to be given the
opportunity by Oxford Journals to explore trends in this detail and on
this scale."

Scholarly Journal Prices: Selected Trends and Comparisons (Sonya White &
Claire Creaser, LISU, 2004) is freely available from the LISU website as a
downloadable pdf.
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/lisu/pages/publications/oup.html  
Print copies can be purchased for �50 [post paid in the UK] from:
LISU, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics, LE11 3TU
Tel: 01509 223071, Fax: 01509 223072, Email: lisu@lboro.ac.uk 
and through TeleOrdering.

For more information please contact:
Claire Creaser, Deputy Director and Senior Statistician, LISU, Brockington
Building, Loughborough University, Loughborough Leics. LE11 3TU. Tel: 01509
222803, email: c.creaser@lboro.ac.uk

About LISU

LISU is a national research, consultancy and information centre based at
the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University. LISU
focuses on the analysis, development, interpretation and dissemination of
statistics, performance assessment measures and related management data.
It seeks to contribute, in appropriate ways, to good management practice
in the various public and private sector agencies that make up the strands
of the information economy and cultural services. It has an established
reputation as an independent authority in its field.

About Oxford Journals

Oxford Journals, a Division of OUP, publishes over 180 journals covering a
broad range of subject areas, two-thirds of which are published in
collaboration with learned societies and other international
organisations. The collection contains some of the world's most
prestigious titles, including Nucleic Acids Research, JNCI (Journal of the
National Cancer Institute), Brain, Human Reproduction, English Historical
Review, and the Review of Financial Studies.

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Rachel Goode
Communications Manager
Oxford Journals
Great Clarendon Street
Oxford
OX2 6DP

Tel: 44-1685-353388
Email: Rachel.Goode@oupjournals.org