Storming Off — To What End?
Some editors resign, and the world keeps turning — again — while we get a peek into why
Another group of editors has stormed off in a fit of public pique over what they view as unacceptably high APC prices — you know, because as scientists, they understand markets, business, finances, and economics.
In this case, it’s two Elsevier journals, NeuroImage and its companion case journal, NeuroImage: Reports.
Like most of these tempests in teapots, there’s very little likely to come out of this that will be game-changing for anyone involved, or for the industry as a whole. The editors have thrown a hissy fit, will get some brief attention, and then will have to get back to work at their new journal, Imaging Neuroscience, which will be published by MIT Press.
Thanks to their acting out, we get some insights into scholarly publishing and its current state with this event. By analyzing how similar resignations and defections have played out over the years, we can get a sense of might come of it.