Because even copyrighted articles can now be shared easily, publishers are becoming more middlemen and less needed. Instead of trying to modernize with the times, however, many of the legacy publishers are holding on to archaic, myopic models that will surely lead to their demise. It’s important to note that a key aspect of academic publication is for the article to be peer-reviewed, which distinguishes it from other work. Peer-review is important because it helps make published information more accurate, reliable, and valid. Important, yes, but, again: this can be done without the help of publishing giants. Peer-reviewers are those knowledgeable about the topic of the work being submitted for publication. Typically, reviewers receive no payment for their services; it is simply viewed as part of your duty in academia, even though when it comes to promotion and tenure, it doesn’t “count” for much. (I’ve even heard of cases where junior faculty were told to decline requests for reviews in order to focus on more pressing tasks such as getting publications – let’s just ponder the irony of that for a moment).

So, let’s recap—journals publish scholarship after it has been reviewed by scholars not on their payroll, then they demand the author sign away the copyright of their work so it may not appear anywhere else. The work is then firmly locked away, typically only accessible by universities or science journalists who are paying exorbitant fees for that access.

Open access journals, which provide peer-reviewed content online for free to the public, are one solution; however, the cost of running this enterprise is shifted to the author in the guise of a “publication fee” (typically around $1,000+ per article). Of course, someone has to pay to make open access a possibility; but there is an injustice in charging the author, who in order to get promoted and keep their job, must publish. If the academic institution isn’t willing to pay the fee and the author doesn’t have their own grant, the author will pay the fee out of their own pocket.