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I sent an email on this subject to paleonet yesterday. It didn't arrive in my inbox, so I assume I made an error - perhaps it went only to whoever's message I was replying to? In any case, I'm repeating the point here - if it did get to the list, and avoided my mailbox for reasons unknown, many apologies. I've added a couple of extra point for anyone who read the first version. My idea is this. It was mentioned that societies can't compete with Elsevier & Blackwell (etc.)'s "bundling" model. Basically, let's take them on at their own game. I think the academic societies - ALL of them, not just PalAss, PalSoc, Geol Soc London & GSA, but also including the small societies - the Yorkshire Geological Society and the likes - should get together on this. Offer a "bundle" to libraries worldwide that would see the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, the Irish Journal of Earth Sciences, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, and other small journals beside the Journal of the Geological Society, the GSA Bulletin, and Paleobiology etc. If a library has to talk to twenty societies to subscribe to twenty journals, it won't happen. If they have only to tick twenty boxes on one subscription form, it's a hell of a lot more likely. And chances are subscriptions to smaller journals would jump if this was done. Especially since Society journals, as Jere pointed out, are so much cheaper. A second point. It's all very well for us to say "yeah it's a good idea to publish in society journals only". Individually it will make very little difference. I think we need to be organised to do that properly. If even half the people on paleonet sign a statement refusing to publish in commercial journals, and going for society and online journals instead, it might just make a difference. Finally, a response to Mark Purnell. I appreciate the comments, and I take on board what you say. But are the papers submitted by these high profile authors of the same quality that they would submit elsewhere? Or are they merely, to put it bluntly, giving PE the scraps from the kitchen table? [this is not my opinion, i'm trying to open the discussion more] With regard to ISI accreditation, it's not that in itself that worries me, it's peoples attitude to the journal in question. Basically, if I think submitting a paper to a particular journal would lead to that paper being ignored on my CV by the important people when I come to apply for a postdoc or a job, I won't submit the paper there. I'd have no problem publishing in a Special Publication of the Geological Society, for example, which doesn't have an ISI impact factor, but is well regarded (as far as I know!). I very much support PE, Carnets etc, I think that is the right direction, but I don't think they've gained widespread acceptance yet. I hope they do. Regards, Breandán MacGabhann -- _______________________________________________ For the largest FREE email in Ireland (25MB) and 20MB of online file storage space - Visit http://www.campus.ie Powered by Outblaze
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