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The resilience of scientific publication: From elite ancient academies to open access
Author(s) -
Mallett Jonathan J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
learned publishing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.06
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-4857
pISSN - 0953-1513
DOI - 10.1002/leap.1366
Subject(s) - publishing , credibility , prestige , elite , resilience (materials science) , open access journal , scientific communication , public relations , sociology , computer science , library science , political science , scopus , law , medline , philosophy , linguistics , physics , politics , thermodynamics
Key points Scientific publication has been a key part of the scientific method since the inception of Philosophical Transactions in 1665. The scientific publications industry has grown exponentially along with science, incorporating technological innovations along the way, and adapting journal processes and practices to changing needs of science as it matured. Of all the technological innovations over more than 300 years, the move to online journals may be the most significant, making open access to content practical for the first time. The open‐access movement is disrupting the economics of journal publishing, which is hoped will make the industry more competitive: the ability of the publications industry to adapt to open access will be a measure of its resilience. The demand for articles published in reputable journals continues to grow as readers trust the credibility of peer reviewed journal articles, and good authors value the prestige of publishing in the best journals. It is difficult to predict what new functionalities may be included in articles of the future or what additional services publishers and editors will provide, but there is every reason to believe that scientific journal articles are here to stay.