Preprints and Retrieval Tools Help Implode the Distinction between Open Access and Subscription-Based Journals | Pablo Markin | Open Science

"As the growing availability of the self-archived and preprint versions of articles published in paywall-protected journals widens the gray zone between subscription-based and Open Access publishing models, the scientific journal publishing market undergoes a sea change with possibly momentous consequences.

While the differences between Open Access and paywall-based article publishing models continue to be publicly discussed, scientific journal representatives begin to take stock of the growing acceptance in the publishing industry for an increased transparency of its procedures, such as in relation to peer reviews. For academic institutions, such as universities, these are not abstract discussions, since dynamically increasing costs of journal transcriptions are likely to translate into higher tuition fees for their students or lower research budgets for their faculty. By contrast, over time, as Open Access increases its mainstream acceptance, the necessity to purchase journal subscription portfolios is likely to diminish, even though researchers will need to be provided with funding sources that cover article processes charges the payment of which the transition to the Open Access model involves...."