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Journal Publishing at Elsevier: Facilitating Communication, Creating Community

Introduction to Publishing Models

This article offers a brief introduction to some highly visible publishing models. Certainly the traditional subscription-based model continues to be the main economic focus of the majority of STM journal publishers, but alternative models are emerging. Currently there is much discussion on the pros and cons of all models, and many publishers, including Elsevier, continue to listen to customers and experiment with different models.

Traditional Subscription Model

The traditional publishing model has been in place for hundreds of years and continues to provide wide access to journals through various dissemination channels. The traditional model levies a charge, which was borne in the predigital world by readers or institutions paying subscription fees and which is now borne primarily by libraries providing access. As electronic journals have evolved, library consortia have emerged to negotiate license agreements for packages of content and thus provide wider access to journal content. Worldwide approximately 16 million researchers now have access to ScienceDirect through institutional licenses.

Advertising Model

Besides relying on the traditional publishing model, high-circulation journals may sell advertising. Revenue often subsidizes publication costs and allows lower subscription rates for individuals. This model is often used in popular magazine publishing and is used for a small number of STM publications (e.g., Cell, New Scientist). With the advent of institutional electronic licensing, however, some publications have been forced to reevaluate relying on advertising; institutional subscriptions can reduce the number of individuals receiving a publication in print, which puts advertising revenue at risk.

Pay-per-View Model

With articles in electronic format, publishers are experimenting with Pay per View models. ScienceDirect guests – not licensed to access the platform or affiliated with any institution licensed to access the platform – may purchase articles via a secure e-commerce system.

Author Pays

In recent years, other publishing models have been developed, for example various “Author Pays” models. In these models, a charge is levied, generally at the author or a sponsoring institution such as a university, to cover the costs of publication. The published article is then made freely available by the publisher.

Through an option called “Sponsored Articles,” some Elsevier journals allow authors to pay a sponsorship fee to ensure that an article is made freely available via ScienceDirect. Journals in physics were the first to offer Sponsored Articles, and now journals across other fields such as life and health sciences offer this option. Sponsored Articles is offered to authors only after their articles have been accepted for publication. Information about Sponsored Articles is available on participating journals’ pages at www.elsevier.com.

Society Publishing and Partnerships

The learned society plays a pivotal role within the journal system. Many scholarly societies have thousands of members and form networks of researchers around the world. Many operate successful publishing operations themselves and often utilize one or combinations of the models noted above. Societies are partially funded by membership fees or journal subscriptions paid by their members, but increasingly depend on institutional subscriptions. In mutually beneficial arrangements, some societies form partnerships with commercial publishers such as Elsevier to produce and disseminate journals on behalf of the societies.

The number of societies publishing with Elsevier continues to grow, and Elsevier provides special services for societies for whom we publish. These services include:

• Providing free setup, training and support for our customized online submission, peer-review and editorial system (EES)
• Providing a dedicated publishing contact, supported by a team of skilled professionals, to guarantee open and accessible communication between a society, a journal editor and Elsevier
• Providing global marketing efforts supported by market intelligence and analysis from research conducted by Elsevier’s Global Academic & Customer Relations Department
• Providing society members with seamless access to journal content as well as dedicated membership service support