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The Forum > Article Comments > Knowledge in the new age of piracy > Comments

Knowledge in the new age of piracy : Comments

By Julian Cribb, published 27/2/2012

Public funds but private goods rule the economics of academic publishing.

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An excellent and timely article. There is another barrier to the free publication of scientific knowledge, and that is the expropriation of particular fields of research by scientists who consider themselves the unassailable experts. They are the people scientific journals ask to review submissions on 'their' topics, and if the article doesn't support them, or worse, puts their previous work in a poor light, they recommend it not be published.
Posted by ybgirp, Monday, 27 February 2012 11:00:18 AM
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There is another important consequence of the situation you describe. If you search the open access literature you will find that there is a whole other publishing world out there used by researchers, mainly from poorer countries, who cannot get access to the "mainstream" literature. Many of the papers are fine pieces of work, but the only literature they reference is that which they can get for free - neither authors nor their institutions can afford the subscriptions charged by the big publishing houses. So we end up with two parallel bodies of work, and frankly it is sometimes hard to see the difference in terms of qualilty. It is likely that the open access world will overtake the big publishers if the latter keep on going the way they are. Some big publishers charge outrageous fees to authors who want to put their papers on their web sites, a situation that does not arise with open access.
Posted by Colin Pain, Monday, 27 February 2012 2:31:53 PM
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Yes, an excellent and timely article.

.

ybgirp?

The rest of your post is unfettered and unadulterated assertion.

Perhaps you should post evidence of your assertions before shooting from the hip.

Perhaps also you should read other articles of the author, for perspective of course.
Posted by bonmot, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 8:29:23 AM
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Bonmot.
I write from experience, but am not stupid enough to provide 'evidence'. The laws of libel take little account of truth, merely the effect of it.
Thank you for your suggestion, I suggest you read "The Emperor of Scent" - by Chandler Burr. A wonderful tale of contemporary perfumery and scientific and intellectual brigandage, relevant to this post.
Posted by ybgirp, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 12:20:41 PM
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ybgirp

If I come accross the book in the library, I might - will look at a few reviews first.

Far too many people assert stuff without backing up any of their claims. I assumed you knew the danger in that method of argument, regardless of any fear of libel (unlikely against someone tagged ybgirp imo) - perhaps GrahamY can clarify?

Anyway, the strength of your opinion (in this case) falls down because as you know, some people tend to make stuff up.
Posted by bonmot, Wednesday, 29 February 2012 7:52:28 AM
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If an economy only produces ideas, it has to find some way of making those ideas pay. We as a nation will not be able to dig it out and ship it off forever; we are witnessing the decline of manufacturing as our retailers push for the lowest priced goods in their stores, invariably meaning imports. By necessity we must find a way to ensure that all those great ideas we have are able to support the economy, and the research institutions, universities and schools that aid in producing them, when we no longer have anything else to offer.

If knowledge is the new economy, then by definition it will not be free or cheap.
Posted by bren122, Saturday, 3 March 2012 1:22:03 PM
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