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

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Google’s cookie replacement—inside a publisher’s test of the new ID

Online publisher Graham Media adopted new ID system to restore some of the value lost during the cookie purge. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2023-04-26 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing’s World Book Day #ReadTheWorld Giveaway

The World Book Day promotion from Amazon Publishing this year offers international reads from several imprints and nine countries. The post Amazon Publishing’s World Book Day #ReadTheWorld Giveaway appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-25 16:30:04 UTC ]
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Baker Publishing CEO Handoff Well Underway

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion Publishers Face Up to DEI Challenges

Executives told PW while the economy is stifling hiring, they are pushing ahead to acquire and market more BIPOC authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Definitive proof that publishing your novel won’t make you happy.

Hug an author today! Fifty-four percent of debut authors responding to Bookseller survey said the process had a negative impact on their mental health—equally likely to feel bummed out whether they pubbed with a Big Four or an indie publisher. One, quoted anonymously in The Bookseller’s report,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-24 15:32:12 UTC ]
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Summer Listening Sorted: Don’t Miss Out on These 28 Free Audiobooks from SYNC

SYNC, an annual summer audiobook program for teens, is back to provide 28 free audiobooks from April to August. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-24 10:37:00 UTC ]
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Fears grow for Taiwan book publisher believed held in China

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[ The Guardian | 2023-04-24 10:09:18 UTC ]
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Publishers are Seeking Spiritual Seekers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Publishers Seeking Spiritual Seekers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lachlan Murdoch drops defamation proceedings against independent Australian publisher Crikey

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[ The Guardian | 2023-04-21 02:28:29 UTC ]
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‘Chilling’ arrest of French publisher by UK counter-terrorism police condemned

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[ The Guardian | 2023-04-20 11:27:44 UTC ]
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CNN’s new, proprietary publishing platform helps ‘reduce tech debt’

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[ Digiday | 2023-04-20 04:01:00 UTC ]
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French publisher asks UK police to cease investigation

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[ ABC News | 2023-04-19 14:32:29 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: A ‘Journey of African Publishing’

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-19 05:57:21 UTC ]
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French publisher arrested in London on terrorism charge

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[ The Guardian | 2023-04-18 19:37:22 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2023-04-18 11:05:08 UTC ]
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UK publishing industry reports record-breaking year in 2022

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[ The Guardian | 2023-04-17 11:26:08 UTC ]
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Sub-Saharan Africa Literature and Publishing Sector Report

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[ British Council global | 2023-04-17 10:35:15 UTC ]
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Pearson Named A Benetech Global Certified Accessible Publisher

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-17 10:00:16 UTC ]
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