Many reputed journals are charging high processing fee from scholars. It becomes difficult for a young scholar to pay the high fee and remain in uncertainty. What is your opinion(s) on this fee?
Hello Deepak Kumar Behera
I think the current system is reasonable. Some journals charge fees. If authors are prepared to pay that, they can do so of their choice. Likewise, if they are paying in a journal for open access, they should be able to exercise that right. Alternatively, if choosing not to pay, the author(s) can find a journal that is in keeping with that profile. My personal preference is for this last option - finding journals where I don't have to pay - and I acknowledge and accept that it may take longer to get my manuscript published as a consequence.
There was a time, when sci. journals payed some honorarium for the authors (approx. 20-30 EUR per paper). These papers didn't proved to be competitive on the free market, now, they ask money from the authors or from the readers for downloading.
There are other journals, which are financed by govermental found (forinstance National Cultural Found) these are free, but they are not paid any honorarium either.
Young researchers has several ways:
a) participate in projects of senior researchers (and the payment is resolved)
b) publish in free journals
c) find sponsor
Attila Haris
Thank you so much for giving some practical tips to the younger generation researched
Would be important here:
1. teaching the young scientist how to write a good propasal: nobody receive money for „l’art pour l’art” project and nobody finance it. Most of young scientist forget to discuss in details in their proposal the „return of investment”. Also, in this procejct proposals, you need to include few hundreds or thousands of EUR for publication fee.
2. My experience: very practical course is need for PhD.- students: how to write a good project proposal and how to win the money. I hope, some leaders of various doctoral schools wil read this and think it over.
3. On the other hand, there are several non business journals, which need good papers. Anyhow, we need a free internet access database of business journals (Pensoft, Taylor and Francis etc.) and non business journals (supported by different state founds), disclipline by disclipline where to submit a paper indicating the expectable time of appaerance (id est: if next vol. is full, half-full or have place for many sci. articles).
Or may be, it is already exists???
Whether the fees are reasonable is a controversial question (see The cost of knowledge | What's new (wordpress.com)). As 1) a journal will typically charge libraries for subscriptions, 2) they will own your copyright and 3) the reviewers work for free, it could be argued that it is unreasonable to charge article processing fees as well (although this argument wouldn't apply to open access charges).
However, looking at the question from another point of view, it is important to find an institution to conduct your research that will cover reasonable charges (my institution will cover open access charges for a wide range of journals for example). Early career researchers are often not well off materially, so it does not seem fair for them to have to pay such charges from their own pocket.
Thank you very much for your insightful reply. Your arguments are quite logical.
On principle, I avoid journals that charge writers a fee. It is bad enough that academics often write for free without any pay, let alone adding injury to insult by charging them a fee. The whole concept is abhorrent. This link to an article with VOX well clarifies the issue:
https://www.vox.com/2016/2/26/11106006/writing-for-free
Robert A. Williams
Thanks for your very frank and focused reply.
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