Will top-ranked scientific publications become the preserve of “rich” groups? ASM editorial policy | mBio

"in this mercilessly competitive system, we should ask some questions: have fundamental advances always/only been published in top journals? Does the intense production of papers necessarily involve transcendental discoveries? And, more importantly, regarding the question addressed here…can it be assured that the articles proposed by distinct research teams are treated equally? I suggest that the answer is no. It seems indisputable that the current policy is benefiting well-financed teams (rich or privileged laboratories) to the detriment of those endowed with scarce resources (poor or deprived groups) who cannot afford journal charges. This situation does not represent a flat playing field and can only add to the distance between developed and developing countries, the latter being limited with regard to the financial support they receive to perform scientific research. The perspectives for the near future are certainly not promising. Conceivably, a parallel may be drawn with the phenomenon of social communication media."