Re:German universities take on Dutch publishing giant Elsevier
by lorenzhs on Monday August 14, 2017 @09:05AM
(#15008294)
To have a successful journal, you don't need a particular university's researchers to publish in it, even if it's a very reputable university. You need everybody working in the field wanting to publish there. All the supposedly really simple solutions suggested in this thread don't work. It's not like academics haven't thought about it.
Re:German universities take on Dutch publishing giant Elsevier
by IshKebab on Monday August 14, 2017 @12:47PM
(#15010147)
Sure, that's why you get a particular university's researchers to publish in it. That's exactly how you start making it so that everyone in the field wants to publish there.
They may have thought about it but has anyone actually tried it? I'm genuinely asking.
Edit: It seems they have and it worked. See mjn's answer below.
Re:German universities take on Dutch publishing giant Elsevier
by Vinnl on Monday August 14, 2017 @03:21PM
(#15011841)
Their scientists have careers that span beyond those universities, so "encouraging them to contribute" is easier said than done. (Also, their scientists have very diverse disciplines and thus many, many different journals to contribute to - so each individual journal still wouldn't have enough good scientists contributing to carry them.)
Yes which is why ordinary individuals can't just start a journal. But governments and universities come with already-established reputation. If Cambridge University started their own open access biology journal (or whatever) and encouraged their scientists to contribute I don't think it would be hard to imagine it succeeding.
Have any universities actually tried?