Our session on Lapis this week focused on scholarly publishing. This included an overview of early scholarly publishing from the first journal, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, through to the ‘serials crisis’, with a hint of the topic of the next lecture, open access.

Following this, Suzanne Kavanagh gave a stimulating overview of some of the work done by The Association for Learned & Professional Publishers and some of the contemporary issues learned societies are having to think about. During the last part of the lecture we were split into groups to discuss a number of different scenarios currently, or potentially, facing learned societies. Our group was given a scenario in which government funded research funders mandated that any research outputs would be made freely available (without charge) immediately. This could be a potential problem for learned societies who currently rely on subscription charges for a large portion of their overall funding. In the session we discussed some potential solutions which I want to expand on in this post.

Learned societies and Open Access

The problem for learned societies is primarily the potential lost revenue resulting from loss of subscription revenue. This issues emerges in particular from the increased number of requirements from funders (both governmental and non-governmental) that outputs from that research have to be published in an open access form. Currently many learned societies make a surplus from their publishing activities, either publishing research directly, or more commonly, publishing through a commercial publisher. The revenue gained from journal subscriptions is relatively stable, long term and reliable, making it an appealing source of revenue. This revenue can then be used to support other activities of the society; doing public engagement, organizing conferences, providing funding, lobbying etc. The main problem that emerges then is how to respond to a likely shrinking (and possible dissepearance) of subscription revenue as a major source of funds for learned societies.

Potential solutions

It is important to point out from the start that there will not be one solutions that will work for all learned societies. Some are very small, dealing with niche topics, whilst others are large and deal with a much broader subject area. Some learned societies may find any transition away from relying on subscriptions revenue relatively painless whilst others will have a much harder time adjusting their current approach. There are however a range of broad things that learned societies can do in an attempt to manage the transition successfully.

Article Processing Charges

In the short run one of the things learned societies could consider is charging article processing charges. Many funders will pay article processing charges to cover costs associated with publishing research. The exact model for doing this will vary for different learned societies. If they publish directly they might be able to recoup lost revenue from the subscription end to cover the costs of publishing.

Publishing platforms and technologies

In the course of exploring article processing charges for publishing research it may make sense for learned societies to consider the tools they use for publishing. If they currently use a commercial publisher they may explore the option of switching to an open access publisher which has lower costs for publishing or adopting open source publishing platforms. A switch to open access publishing can be viewed as an opportunity to explore new approaches to publishing. Using blog posts, social media, podcasts etc. could allow some societies to engage with members and new members in new ways. For some this could result in increased membership or new opportunities beyond the traditional approaches of learned societies.

Membership benefits

Rethinking the benefits associated with membership will be an important part of the shift to open access. It is quite common for people to become members for free journal subscriptions. A shift to open access might result in cancelation of membership. This is a problem societies can respond to in many different ways; tiered membership rates, new benefits, broadening membership appeal etc. What all of these require is sustained thought and discussion with current members about what they want to see.

Potential benefits of open access for learned societies

A Taylor and Francis/ Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers Survey of Learned Societies survey of learned societies about open access reveals some of the potential worries. Around 16% of respondants viewed open access as a ‘major threat’ and 25% as a ‘minor threat’. These concerns should not be dismissed. For some societies open access does pose real difficulties. However, the realities of funding for publishing appear to be moving more and more towards open access. Mandates are becoming increasingly common. Open access will therefore be something learned societies will have to respond to. For learned societies it could be approached as an opportunity to reassess current approaches, change publishing models, re-engage members and re-think what the aims and goals of the society are and providing the potential for engaging more people and increasing impact. This is of course easier said then done but is something that societies will have to begin thinking about and having discussions around.

This work by Daniel van Strien is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.