RE: Calculating the Cost per Article in the Current Subscription Model

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

Thanks to Phil for putting this list together.  He wanted it to encourage
debate and it certainly has!

My concern is that the analysis takes no account of additional sources of
funding for publication with the institutions.  Many authors at ARL
institutions are paying significant amounts for publication in page
charges, reprint charges, colour figure charges, etc.  However, the chart
compares the average cost to the library in a subscription model (ignoring
page charges, etc.) with the total cost per article in an open access
model.  The comparison is not like-for-like.

I have no idea what the average amount spent per article by authors is and
it would be tedious to find out, but until we know I'm not sure how useful
the chart is.  If it is tens of dollars per paper it makes little
difference, but if 100s it does.  Until we know, we don't know!

Also, the assumption behind the chart is that some institutions will be
better or worse off.  However, if publication charges are seen as research
charges and covered by the funding body then it surely does not affect the
library so much.  There could be 'new' money coming into the system.  
There certainly is from the Wellcome Trust which has decided to cover
publication charges for open access journals.  If more funding bodies do
this then won't the cost/benefit question for individual institutions
become moot?

Best wishes

David

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