RE: Publishers and Contracts - digression

From: Marty Bigos (mbigos@gladstone.ucsf.edu)
Date: Tue May 21 2002 - 15:36:37 EST


>From: Bob Leif
>To: cyto-inbox
>The word is disintermediation.

Sorry to digress, but I couldn't resist.

Main Entry:	dis·in·ter·me·di·a·tion
Pronunciation:	"di-"sin-t&r-"mE-dE-'A-sh&n
Function:	noun
Date:	1967
: the diversion of savings from accounts with low fixed interest
rates to direct investment in high-yielding instruments

For a discussion on it's current meaning (and future speculation) see
http://www.informationweek.com/794/94uwmh.htm
(InformationWeek Online July 10.2000)

Marty


>  Because of the Internet, the value added
>by the publishers has greatly diminished. Ultimately, publication will
>be via the Web. There is no added value to having the authors move their
>figures and tables to the end of the publication and printing color
>figures in black and white. We would be better off submitting our
>articles as PDF files.
>
>From my experience with most journals, the publishers have diminished
>the use of proof-readers. Cytometry uses both English and American
>spellings and sometimes periods as separators for numbers. I am
>perfectly happy with either format. It is a publisher’s job to choose
>one.
>
>The extension of Cytometry to Cytomics will dilute the focus of the
>journal. This is not a criticism. However, it will result in a decrease
>in the proportion of articles that are of direct interest to each
>reader. I completely agree with the suggestion of making the articles
>available on the Web. However, I believe that ISAC should not totally
>give away this potential source of revenue. I presently pay $3.00 for a
>patent, which I receive in usually less than five minutes. My
>recommendation is that $3.00 is an upper bound on the price of an
>article. I would prefer that it be less. ISAC should determine if the
>model of The Histochemistry Society is appropriate to our needs.
>Reprints of Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry are distributed
>through HighWire: http://highwire.stanford.edu/
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kenneth Ault [mailto:AULTK@mmc.org]
>Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 12:09 PM
>To: cyto-inbox
>Subject: Re: Publishers and Contracts
>
>This topic raises an issue that has bothered me for some time.  It seems
>to me that publishers routinely use the native desire of scientists to
>become famous, and the fact that many of us have considerable egos, to
>take advantage of us.	They ask us to write articles for books, or to
>edit books, and pay nothing or a pittance when they are able to make
>enough money to make it worthwhile for themselves.  I'm not saying that
>publishing is anything close to the energy trading business in terms of
>profitability, but I do think we are taken advantage of.
>
>It would be nice (although probably impossible) if the scientific
>community could come up with a mechanism to defend ourselves against
>this kind of exploitation.  Maybe its just my stupidity and poor
>negotiating ability, but I'd be interested in the thoughts of others.
>
>Ken Ault
>


--
Marty Bigos
Director, Flow Core
Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology
Building 3 SFGH Rm 509
415-695-3832



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