[eIFLoa] Fwd: New SPARC guide reviews income models for supporting open-access journals

[Iryna Kuchma]

[forwarding from Jennifer McLennan]

For more information, contact:
Jennifer McLennan
(202) 296-2996 ext 121
jennifer [at] arl [dot] org

NEW SPARC GUIDE REVIEWS INCOME MODELS FOR SUPPORTING OPEN ACCESS
JOURNALS

WASHINGTON, DC - Who pays for Open Access - is a key question
faced by publishers, authors, and libraries as awareness and
interest in free, immediate, online access to scholarly research
increases. SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources
Coalition) examines the issue of sustainability for current and
prospective open-access publishers in a timely new guide, "Income
models for Open Access: An overview of current practice," by Raym
Crow.

"Income models for Open Access: An overview of current practice"
examines the use of supply-side revenue streams (such as article
processing fees, advertising) and demand-side models (including
versioning, use-triggered fees). The guide provides an overview
of income models currently in use to support open-access
journals, including a description of each model along with
examples of journals currently employing it.

Since its inception, SPARC has supported publishing models and
policy initiatives that broaden access to the peer-reviewed
results of research, and has recognized that this has financial
implications for society and other nonprofit publishers. The new
SPARC guide aims to support the development of sound open-access
publishing business models by providing an overview of current
practice as well as practical guidance for publishers in
evaluating the viability and financial potential of selected
income models.

Developing a sound business model is a critical concern for all
publishers and the process can be especially challenging for
those considering open-access distribution. The guide recognizes
that the needs of individual journals differ, and that publishers
will apply a variety of income models to support open-access
distribution. The right model must take into account not only the
publisher's need to cover expenses, but also the organization's
mission objectives, size, business management resources, and
other factors.

"There's not a single solution to creating the income stream
necessary to support open-access publication that works for every
publisher," said Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC.
"Through this experimental phase, it's important to be both
flexible and pragmatic in the evaluation of new models. This
guide will be a critical tool both for publishers exploring new
potential sources of income and for libraries weighing where to
direct meager library funds."

"Income models for Open Access: An overview of current practice"
is available for free to read or download online. The guide is
supplemented by an extensive Web resource, which invites
community discussion on models described as well as contributions
related to new and other models. The resource is online at
http://www.arl.org/sparc/publisher/incomemodels/ .

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