Scientific publishing is a rip-off. We fund the research – it should be free | George Monbiot

Those who take on the global industry that traps research behind paywalls are heroes, not thievesNever underestimate the power of one determined person. What Carole Cadwalladr has done to Facebook and big data, and Edward Snowden has done to the state security complex, Alexandra Elbakyan has done to the multibillion-dollar industry that traps knowledge behind paywalls. Sci-Hub, her pirate web scraper service, has done more than any government to tackle one of the biggest rip-offs of the modern era: the capture of publicly funded research that should belong to us all. Everyone should be free to learn; knowledge should be disseminated as widely as possible. No one would publicly disagree with these sentiments. Yet governments and universities have allowed the big academic publishers to deny these rights. Academic publishing might sound like an obscure and fusty affair, but it uses one of the most ruthless and profitable business models of any industry.The model was pioneered by the notorious conman Robert Maxwell. He realised that, because scientists need to be informed about all significant developments in their field, every journal that publishes academic papers can establish a monopoly and charge outrageous fees for the transmission of knowledge. He called his discovery “a perpetual financing machine”. He also realised that he could capture other people’s labour and resources for nothing. Governments funded the research published by his company, Pergamon, while... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #alexandra elbakyan #modern era #academic publishing #significant developments #technical term

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Scientific publishing is a rip-off. We fund the research – it should be free | George Monbiot'


Self-publishers must declare if content sold on Amazon’s site is AI-generated

Retailer announces new rules for its Kindle Direct Publishing forum after complaints about AI-produced works being sold under human writers’ namesAmazon has introduced new rules and guidance for Kindle books generated by artificial intelligence tools, including the requirement that authors... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-11 17:08:53 UTC ]
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Oxford University Press Opens Topical Interdisciplinary Research Tool

A cross-disciplinary approach is planned for Oxford University Press' newly announced "Intersections" online academic resource. The post Oxford University Press Opens Topical Interdisciplinary Research Tool appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-08 22:06:03 UTC ]
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Two New Histories of Publishing

Memoirs by former publishing executives have become something of a cottage industry this year, with two new books by John Sargent and Charles Scribner III offering accounts of the ongoing evolution of the business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing executives #cottage industry #john sargent #ongoing evolution


Publishers Association Cheers the UK Rejoining Horizon

Boosting science research and publishing, says the Publishers Association's Dan Conway, the UK's Horizon/Copernicus move is good news. The post Publishers Association Cheers the UK Rejoining Horizon appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-07 21:14:36 UTC ]
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US Poet Laureate Ada Limon is publishing a new anthology of 50 poems by 50 poets.

Lit Hub is pleased to announce a new books, published in cooperation with the Library of Congress and edited by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a collection of poems reflecting on “our relationship to the natural world by fifty of our most celebrated contemporary writers.”... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-06 14:00:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #poems reflecting #lit hub #natural world #anthology


Religion Publishers See Growth in Spanish-language Books

Faith and spirituality houses see potential—and obstacles—in reaching Spanish-language markets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #religion publishers #spanish-language books #spirituality houses


Publishers Extend Key Franchises with Fun and Games

Publishers of interactive formats extend key franchises with exciting new titles and products. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Costs Cut into Profits at Big Publishers

In the first half of 2023, publishers struggled to keep expenses down, with multiple companies citing higher costs as the major reason margins shrank in the first six months of 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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IPA’s Karine Pansa in Portugal: Publishing Must Be ‘Tough and Smart’

The International Publishers Association's Karine Pansa in Portugal speaks of rising threats to publishing's framework of protections. The post IPA’s Karine Pansa in Portugal: Publishing Must Be ‘Tough and Smart’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-31 22:32:37 UTC ]
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Media Briefing: How digital publishers spent summer 2023 

It was a hot summer of activity within the digital media space as publishers experimented with new technology, rode the social media rollercoaster and looked for ways to offset the hits to ad revenue. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-08-31 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media briefing #hot summer #ad revenue #digital media #digital publishers


Richard Ekstract, Magazine Publisher With Link to Warhol, Dies at 92

He was promoting a new trade journal, Tape Recording, when he lent a video recorder to Andy Warhol, who used it to make a classic work with Edie Sedgwick. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-08-30 19:10:43 UTC ]
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Amy Einhorn Named Fiction Publisher at Crown

The publisher will leave Macmillan's Henry Holt imprint to spearhead the fiction program at Crown Publishing Group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Switzerland’s Karger and Kortext: Research for England’s National Health

The Basel-based Karger, founded in 1890, has partnered with the UK's Kortext on an NHS-England digital publishing program. The post Switzerland’s Karger and Kortext: Research for England’s National Health appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-29 18:33:43 UTC ]
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How publishers like The Marshall Project and The Markup are testing generative AI in their newsrooms

Publishers including The Marshall Project and The Markup shared case studies of how they’re using generative artificial intelligence in their newsrooms for more efficient editorial processes – after some failed tests. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-08-29 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Libby is making it easier to access magazines for free with a supported library card

A library card is one of the most useful things you can have in your wallet. Libby offers free access to ebooks and audiobooks if you have a supported library card (some 90 percent of public libraries in North America now use OverDrive's app). Not only that, you can also use Libby to read a host... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-28 17:00:30 UTC ]
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Brazilian Publishers in Rio: Book Fair ‘Professional Days’

The Brazilian Publishers' professional programming ahead of the Biennial International Book Fair in Rio features trading, discussion. The post Brazilian Publishers in Rio: Book Fair ‘Professional Days’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-25 20:51:33 UTC ]
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Scientific journal retracts article that claimed no evidence of climate crisis

Publisher Springer Nature says 2022 article ‘not supported by available evidence’ as editors launch investigationOne of the world’s biggest scientific publishers has retracted a journal article that claimed to have found no evidence of a climate crisis.Springer Nature said it had retracted the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-25 15:00:14 UTC ]
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Han Dong Publishes New Anthology of Poems

Phoenix Publishing and Media Group offers a bilingual selection of the avant-garde poet’s works spanning the past 40 years. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Religious Publishers Count Down to Christmas

Holiday-themed devotionals have a strong presence in faith-based publishing catalogs this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Longtime Publishing Professional L.D. Clepper Dies at 85

In his long career in book sales and marketing, Clepper worked at Macmillan, Harper & Row, Houghton Mifflin, and Oxford University Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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