The Bundling of Academic Journals

摘要

Academic journal publishing has evolved rapidly in the past two decades. Prices, ownership concentration, the number of journals, and the means of distribution have all changed dramatically. Substantial price increases have been the norm. Average prices have risen severalfold over this period, with prices climbing the most at for-profit journals, where these prices are now as much as 500 percent higher than nonprofits (Gail Yokote, 2003). The price difference between for-profit and nonprofit academic journals is particularly striking, given that these journals are generally similar in format and editorial processes, and that far-profit journals do not appear to be of higher quality (Theodore C. Bergstrom, 2001 p. 183).