Introduction For decades, the journey from a researcher’s lab notebook to a formal, peer-reviewed journal article has been a marathon, often taking months, sometimes even years. This slow pace, while ostensibly ensuring quality, has become a growing source of frustration in a world that operates at internet speed. Enter the preprint: a complete, non-peer-reviewed manuscript … Read more
Introduction For decades, academic publishing has been relying on a strange yet workable system in which researchers hand over their work for free, peer reviewers volunteer their time, and institutions pay exorbitant subscription fees to access the publications. It’s a business model so bafflingly profitable for a few large publishers that you have to admire … Read more
Introduction The phrase “American publishing” used to conjure images of high-rise offices in Manhattan, bustling book fairs, and the intellectual thrill of discovering the next great American novel. It represented a multi-billion-dollar industry that served as a crucial gatekeeper of culture, knowledge, and narrative. Yet, for all its storied history and persistent cultural cachet, the … Read more
Introduction A shift is underway in Europe’s scientific publishing landscape, driven by political mandate, technological innovation, and a scholarly push for openness. The days of research (mostly funded by public money) being locked behind exorbitant paywalls are officially numbered. This isn’t just about switching from print to digital. It’s a re-engineering of how knowledge is … Read more
Introduction In the world of academic publishing, few topics spark as much intense debate and hope, sometimes misplaced, as the concept of Transformative Agreements. These agreements, often negotiated between library consortia or individual institutions and major publishers, aim to shift the financial burden and model of scholarly communication from paying for journal subscriptions (the classic … Read more