Publisher, be damned! From price gouging to the open road

The economics and organization of academic publishing have been the subject of much controversy recently – within the UK and internationally. Both journalists (e.g. Monbiot, 2011) and academics (e.g. Gowers, 2012) have objected to publishers’ pricing practices and business models. The past few years have not only witnessed debate, but more energetic activity too. One publishing giant is currently boycotted by academics, and not for the first time. In a few instances, editorial boards have resigned en masse in protest at high subscription prices. We have seen the creation of numerous open-access initiatives and dozens of new open-access journals, including the über-respectable Public Library of Science (PLoS). In 2012, a group commissioned by the UK government published the results of its year-long study into the academic journal market and the feasibility of adopting open access (Finch Report, 2012). In this Proposition, we review some of these developments. [Taken from introduction]