From: Heather Morrison <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:02:05 -0800

re: McCabe, Snyder & Fagin's Open Access versus traditional journal pricing:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2201773

My comments:

Interesting approach to studying the economics of scholarly publishing

Some important limitations:

This paper repeats the error of equating open access with open access
publishing, equates open access publishing with the article processing
fee model, and equates that the article processing fee is an
"author-pays model".

Open access is accomplished through two methods, both of which can be
and are supported by journals: open access archives and open access
publishing.

The majority of open access journals do not charge article processing
fees - this is just one funding model. When article processing fees
are used, it is generally not the author that pays, making the
article's analysis based on author assessment of cost/benefit in
general a moot point.

Another limitation is oversimplification (if you read the article,
this may be hard to believe as it is quite complex). However, the
article notes the major foundation funding received by PLoS but not
address this is its calculations. Other major sources of support for
journals, ranging from volunteer labour to in-kind support provided by
libraries to direct subsidies (not based on APFs) provided by
scholarly societies, research organizations, and governments.

In sum, this is a useful addition in terms of modelling but the
analysis is far too limited in its consideration of variables to
justify the conclusions.

best,

Heather Morrison, PhD
Freedom for scholarship in the internet age
https://theses.lib.sfu.ca/thesis/etd7530