Scientific Publishing Industry Faces Federal Scrutiny

"As NIH director, Bhattacharya has also pledged to rein in the $19 billion for-profit academic publishing industry, which academics, who typically author and peer review articles without compensation, have long criticized as exploitative. In July, the NIH proposed capping the article processing charges (APCs) some journals levy on researchers to make their publications freely available, which can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Bhattacharya has said the move is aimed at both ending the “perverse incentives” enriching the publishing industry and making it “much harder for a small number of scientific elite to say what’s true and false.” ..."