Scholarly Associations and the Economic Viability of Open Access Publishing

John Willinsky, University of British Columbia

Abstract

This article explores the contradictory and redundant economic aspects of the current scholarly publishing situation with a focus on the viability of an open-access model for publishing. The author examines the overlap in content between subscription-based and open access sources. Currently open access journals make up 10-20 percent of online journals The author's close examination of the economic issues of journal publishing is aimed at assisting scholarly associations and their members in determining whether open access journal publishing is the business model that should be followed.