Mass walkouts aim to drive journal reform | Times Higher Education (THE)

"Recent mass editorial resignations from commercial journals over high publication fees and controversial practices could trigger further defections to the non-profit sector and spark a scholar-led revolution in journal behaviour, academics behind several high-profile walkouts have said.... Some 25 editors of the MDPI title Publications also quit in April after the resignation of editor-in-chief Gemma Derrick over what she called the potential “reputational damage” likely to be faced by editors if controversial publishing practices used in other parts of the Swiss publisher, including the rapid expansion of editorial boards and the explosion of special issues, continued unchecked. Some 25 editors of the MDPI title Publications also quit in April after the resignation of editor-in-chief Gemma Derrick over what she called the potential “reputational damage” likely to be faced by editors if controversial publishing practices used in other parts of the Swiss publisher, including the rapid expansion of editorial boards and the explosion of special issues, continued unchecked. The spate of mass walkouts from journals suggests that editors are no longer willing to tolerate the “exploitative” practices seen in some parts of academic publishing, said Dr Derrick, associate professor at the University of Bristol’s School of Education. “Editorial boards are rightly demanding that the practices of their journals align with their community norms, not the business strategies of the publishing houses,” she said...."