News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by pishpash on Wednesday December 13, 2017 @03:50PM (#15917541)
Reviewers certainly shouldn't be the ones profiting from it, that would be an absurd conflict-of-interest. Publishers do some work, but I think it's mostly the long-tail problem. The popular stuff is subsidizing the large number of very very esoteric. Unbundling might help.
Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by anbende on Wednesday December 13, 2017 @09:35PM (#15919543)
You're mistaken. Paying reviewers would only cause a conflict of interest if it biases reviewers in a particular direction. Which direction would that be?

Paying the reviewer doesn't incentivise them to accept or reject only to actually do the review. As it stands, in many fields reviewers are far from experts in the area they're reviewing but only in the same general discipline. Papers sail through review without proper statistical oversight, because what statistics expert is going to spend their time reviewing psych or bio articles when that's not their discipline?

Well if we paid people to do what amounts to some of the most important work in science, maybe we'd get actual experts to do it!

Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by pishpash on Wednesday December 13, 2017 @10:21PM (#15919698)
Or, you get charlatans who review for money.
Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by anbende on Thursday December 14, 2017 @02:13PM (#15925769)
That's a danger, for sure, but once you're paying people you can generally be more choosy. CVs can be reviewed as can previous review work.

No one suggests that paying programmers to program results in shoddier work. There just needs to be an accountability and feedback system just like in any other industry.

Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by noobermin on Wednesday December 13, 2017 @05:22PM (#15918250)
I'd have to think of it, but I think reviewers would have a conflict-of-interest if they were paid based on the result of their reviews. If they are compensated to just review a paper either way I don't see the issue.
Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by pishpash on Wednesday December 13, 2017 @07:16PM (#15918939)
Depends on what they believe the purpose of the review is. They'll be incented to do whatever gets them more reviews.
Re:Universities spend millions on accessing results of publi... by maxerickson on Wednesday December 13, 2017 @03:55PM (#15917580)
Can you explain the conflict you see?

The editor would still pick reviewers based on reputation, they'd just get a lump sum along with the work.