Re: Re: "Mathematica in Education and Research"
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg61020] Re: [mg60975] Re: "Mathematica in Education and Research"
- From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akoz at mimuw.edu.pl>
- Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 02:48:27 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <dht48m$hle$1@smc.vnet.net> <200510050628.CAA10410@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
I agree that it would be unreasonable to expect a journal of this type to be distributed for free although the actual costs of a competenly published online journal ought to be quite low, given that most of the work is done by by unpaid labour: authors and referees. (At least I have never been paid in either role.) However, the main point the OP seems to be making is that it is obviously unreasonable to be expected to pay $45 dollars for a one year subscription if you are "slightly interested in one of the articles". The solution is obvious: individual articles should be available for download for a much lower price, which is actually the practice followed by many online journals. Andrzej Kozlowski On 5 Oct 2005, at 15:28, Mike wrote: > On 4/10/05 3:34 PM, in article dht48m$hle$1 at smc.vnet.net, "AES" > <siegman at stanford.edu> wrote: > > >> Just received the first email list-serve mailing that I can remember >> receiving from >> >> Mathematica in Education and Research >> >> "Volume 10 Issue number 4 is out now." >> >> <http://www.ijournals.net> >> >> including the ToC and brief abstracts for that issue. Don't know for >> sure how I got on this list, but I suspect I probably subscribed >> after >> seeing their List-Subscribe link: >> >> <http://www.ijournals.net/lists/?p=subscribe&id=2> >> >> in some posting on this group. >> >> I'd like to ask for any info anyone may have about the publication >> and >> distribution policies of this publication. I was slightly >> interested in >> one of the articles in that issue, but when I went to the web site to >> get it, I discovered that to download a full article I'm apparently >> supposed to subscribe, at $45/year. >> >> I happen to be involved in the publication activities of several >> major >> professional societies that expend a great deal of resources in >> publishing important peer-reviewed technical journals. Many if >> not most >> such journals these days are put on line _for free_ to the general >> public, in full text format, after an "embargo period" in the >> range of 3 >> months to a year. Some are published in this fashion from day >> one; and >> the trend is more and more toward free distribution of such >> information. >> >> Does MiER have such an embargo period? Or, does it have an >> institutional >> subscription rate? I can only say that even with an adequate >> personal >> income and a substantial interest in Mathematica, the chance of my >> paying $45/year for a subscription to this particular publication is >> essentially zero -- and the chance of my urging my university to pay >> very much more than that for an institutional online subscription is >> equally small. >> >> > > The previous publisher (Springer) of MiER ceased publishing the > journal at > the end of 2000 because it was, in their view, unprofitable. I'm > not sure > how a business is supposed to recoup costs let alone make a profit > if the > goods or services they produce are free. You haven't given any > information > about which professional societies provide free online articles but > as a > chemist I know of none in my profession (eg. American chemical > society, > royal society of chemistry ...) that do. Nothing in life is free so > ultimately free online articles would have to be funded either by > society > membership fees and other revenue raising society activities or by the > generous donation of time and effort by many volunteers or both. We > do not > have the luxury of either. > > The previous publisher had an embargo period of 4 years. Since this > is the > first year that the journal has relaunched we have not yet > considered what > would be an appropriate embargo period. > > Both private and institutional subscription rates were detailed on > the page > in which you found the $45 rate. > > The mailing list exists solely to send notification of ToC each > quarter. You > can unsubscribe from the mailing list by clicking on this link: > > http://www.ijournals.net/lists/?p=unsubscribe&id=2 > > Regards > > Mike Honeychurch > --------------------------- > > Michael Honeychurch > Mathematica in Education and Research > http://www.ijournals.net > mierNOSPAM at ijournals.net > > >
- References:
- Re: "Mathematica in Education and Research"
- From: Mike <m.HoneychurcNOSPAMh@uq.edu.au>
- Re: "Mathematica in Education and Research"