Scholarly Journal Publication: Conflicting Agendas for Scholars, Publishers, and Institutions

There are four main parties involved in publishing scholarly scientific journals: scholars, who produce the work and are its ultimate consumers; editors, who manage the publication process; publishers, who publish the work; and subscribers, largely institutions, who purchase the work. Because of conflicting agendas, natural tensions exist among these four parties. At the same time, some recent and ongoing trends have exacerbated these tensions: the rate at which new information is being produced, the growth of electronic communication, and the strained budgets of many institutions. This article summarizes these aspects of the scholarly communication environment, assesses some of the reasons for the current situation, and provides a commentary on what the future might bring. The current situation in scholarly scientific journal publications cannot be sustained; therefore, it is necessary for all the parties to collaborate in creating an environment of mutual respect, sharing ownership of the problems, and encouraging efforts to move toward a sustainable system.