The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Open (Access) Sesame

Open (Access) Sesame

October 1, 2009 • By Bruce N. Cronstein, MD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Miles, the central protagonist in the movie “Sideways,” is a writer who is down to his last gasp at publishing fame. When he receives the bad news that his masterpiece has been finally and irretrievably rejected, he drinks the spittoon at the winery where he is exercising his remarkably sensitive palate. Not all writers take such desperate measures after their work has been rejected. Indeed, a segment of the publishing industry, the “vanity press,” will publish any work for a fee, and some of these publishing houses will even market the work for the author. Unfortunately, according to my friends in the publishing industry, as publishers are increasingly languishing in the economic doldrums, we may soon be left with fewer outlets for reviewed and accepted work, and a greater proportion of fiction as well as nonfiction will be published only on a fee-for-service basis.

You Might Also Like
  • The ACR Debuts Open Access Journal
  • Tips to Access Journals Online
  • Members, Submitters Share Thoughts on ACR Journals
Explore This Issue
October 2009
Also By This Author
  • FDA Drug Labeling, Approval Process Help Minimize Lawsuits Against Pharmaceutical Companies

In contrast, when a scientist or medical investigator submits work to a scholarly journal, the manuscript is reviewed by experts in the field (peers) before acceptance (or rejection) for publication. Although medical and scientific societies, such as the ACR, publish journals on a nonprofit basis, there is a thriving for-profit publishing sector that also publishes peer-reviewed work. The Nature Group, Elsevier, Springer, and others all publish well-respected medical and scientific journals that are profitable. The business model to date has been to charge author(s) a fee to cover expenses and pay for reprints or other related costs, while the bulk of the revenue and profits are derived from subscriptions. If you have spoken with the librarian at your institution, you will understand that these subscriptions are quite expensive. Access to many of these journals is limited, and unaffiliated members of the public or physicians and scientists without access to a large library frequently have a great deal of difficulty even reading articles published in these journals without making some sort of payment.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In the open access paradigm, there is no cost for access to publications over the Web, and the revenues to support peer review and other costs, as well as profits, are derived from fees (quite hefty at times) paid by the authors.

Open Access Publishing

More recently, online, open access publishing is gaining acceptance in the medical and scientific community. In the open access paradigm, there is no cost for access to publications over the Web, and the revenues to support peer review and other costs, as well as profits, are derived from fees (quite hefty at times) paid by the authors. This business model satisfies our growing expectation that everything we want on the Web is free and provides the public with direct access to this work.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Ethics, Journals, ResearchIssue: October 2009

You Might Also Like:
  • The ACR Debuts Open Access Journal
  • Tips to Access Journals Online
  • Members, Submitters Share Thoughts on ACR Journals
  • A New Beginning

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)