Funders "should mandate change in science publishing" - Research Information

"Funders should step in to fix the current system of scholarly publication, according to a new report.

The paper, The Drain of Scientific Publishing, published on arXiv, argues that the global scientific publishing system is systematically “draining” research through misaligned incentives that prioritise commercial profit over scholarly value – and that funders, governments and universities should intervene more forcefully.

The authors argue that a small group of multinational commercial publishers now dominate scholarly communication in ways that extract value from the research system while undermining its long-term health.

They call for the “re-communalisation” of scholarly publishing: sustained investment in non-commercial, community-governed platforms; stronger limits on the use of public funds for APCs; reform of “research assessment and prestige” systems; and more assertive action by funders and competition authorities."