[Taxacom] Paywall our taxonomic tidbit

Stephen Thorpe stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz
Thu Jan 14 19:21:33 CST 2016


Mike,

>There is nothing novel at all about your suggestion (you really need to get out more), it is one of the common models, in fact the one that started this thread -- it's called reader pays<

Sorry if my sarcasm is over your head! You said: 

>Publishing is not free, the publisher has costs, and someone has to pay those costs. Why would people think research costs money but publishing does not?<

I was pointing out that the common model ("reader pays") easily solves and answers this bizarre question that you posed. The answer was so blindingly obvious that I simply had to introduce it (sarcastically) with "Here's a novel idea ..." So, yes, absolutely, there is nothing new about it, I agree 100% (mainly because it was my point, not yours!)

As for reprints, as you describe the situation (and I don't know how true that is), reprints are effectively a pre-electronic form of open access. So, all that argument shows is that grant money has been wasted on open access for a long time already. At any rate, the pros and cons of open access depend, in the end, on the total (global) amount of grant money that would be spent, compared to what would be spent under reader pays. I don't think anybody knows how that is likely to pan out. We don't know what all the publishers are going to set as open access fees, and we don't know to what extent authors (funded by public money) might choose the more expensive publishers over the cheaper ones. Publishers who can claim to be "prestigious" will no doubt set fees higher. I'm just warning that there is a big risk here of a lot of public money intended for research disappearing into the pockets of publishers and employing institutions.

Stephen
--------------------------------------------
On Fri, 15/1/16, Michael A. Ivie <mivie at montana.edu> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Paywall our taxonomic tidbit
 To: "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>, "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>, "Daphne G. Fautin" <fautin at ku.edu>
 Received: Friday, 15 January, 2016, 2:00 PM
 
 Stephen,
 
 There is nothing novel at all about your suggestion (you
 really need to 
 get out more), it is one of the common models, in fact the
 one that 
 started this thread -- it's called reader pays. 
 Zootaxa offers the 
 author both the reader pays and the writer pays models to
 choose from.   
 It is the model that ran newspapers and magazines for
 centuries, nothing 
 new about it at all.
 
 But, it is your statement "Open access is good news for
 publishers and 
 good news for institutions who claim overheads on grants
 gained by 
 employees, but bad news for the public" that is most
 outrageous.   We 
 used to pay for, receive and send out paper reprints. 
 These cost money, 
 paid for by grants usually, and were a way of disseminating
 research.  
 Did anyone ever sell their reprints to requesters?  I
 never heard of 
 such a thing.  When I was on the Board at the
 Entomological Society of 
 America, we priced open access to be the same as the average
 paper 
 reprint charge for 100 copies, the mode number
 ordered.  The funds 
 generated by the publisher (ESA) was the same either way,
 although costs 
 were slightly lower for open access than for paper. 
 So, there goes your 
 first rhubarb.  Next, how in the world is this good for
 institutions?  
 It is good for independent researchers and those at
 institutions who 
 don't get the journal, but has no impact on the
 institution.  Claiming 
 overhead has nothing to do with this, other than library
 support is one 
 of the costs figured into IDC rates.  Still, open
 access has no impact 
 on that.  Last, the public funding of science is a
 proven societal 
 benefit.  Not getting the data out would stop it for
 being a societal 
 benefit. Your sentence is simply nonsense, in the classic
 meaning of the 
 word.
 
 Mike
 
 
 On 1/14/2016 5:46 PM, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
 > Daphne,
 > Not sure exactly what you mean, but when I said "Here's
 a novel idea ..." that was sarcasm!
 > Stephen
 >
 > --------------------------------------------
 > On Fri, 15/1/16, Fautin, Daphne G. <fautin at ku.edu>
 wrote:
 >
 >   Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Paywall our
 taxonomic tidbit
 >   To: "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu"
 <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>,
 "Michael A. Ivie" <mivie at montana.edu>,
 "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 >   Received: Friday, 15 January, 2016,
 1:40 PM
 >   
 >   Dear Stephen,
 >   
 >   You are describing how it
 >   currently works, right?
 >   
 >   
 >   Daphne G. Fautin
 >   Professor
 >   Emerita, University of Kansas
 >   
 >   skype: daphne.fautin
 >   
 >   database of sea anemones
 >   hercules.kgs.ku.edu/Hexacoral/Anemone2/index.cfm
 >   
 >   ________________________________________
 >   From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 >   on behalf of Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 >   Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 6:22
 PM
 >   To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu;
 >   Michael A. Ivie
 >   Subject: Re: [Taxacom]
 >   Paywall our taxonomic tidbit
 >   
 >   Mike,
 >   
 >   >Publishing is not free, the
 publisher has
 >   costs, and someone has to pay those
 costs. Why would people
 >   think research costs money but
 publishing does not?<
 >   
 >   Yes, indeed, and the answer to
 >   your question is that they don't.
 Here's a novel
 >   idea, Mike, how about the reader pays
 to read the
 >   publication, if they want to read it.
 For publications of
 >   limited interest, the total cost of
 readers paying to read
 >   is going to be far less than the total
 cost of authors
 >   paying open access costs set by
 publishers at very
 >   "optimistic" predictions of likely
 readership. So,
 >   the ones important to the particular
 research can read it,
 >   either by getting it free from an
 author/colleague, or by
 >   paying to read it. Let me put it as
 clearly as I can:
 >   
 >   Suppose that n people want to
 >   read a given publication. Suppose that
 they each must pay
 >   $100 (from public money) to the
 publisher in order to read
 >   it. It is quite possible that 100n is
 significantly less
 >   than $20/page for open access, given
 that no more than n
 >   people want to read it. Multiply all
 that by the vast number
 >   of limited interest taxonomic articles
 that get published
 >   every year, and the difference in cost
 gets even greater.
 >   
 >   Open access is good news for
 >   publishers and good news for
 institutions who claim
 >   overheads on grants gained by
 employees, but bad news for
 >   the public. For the public, it is
 analogous to helping the
 >   proverbial old lady cross the street
 who doesn't want to
 >   go! Look we have paid the publishers
 (with your money) so
 >   you can read it for free! Great, but I
 didn't want to
 >   read it!
 >   
 >   Stephen
 >   
 >   --------------------------------------------
 >   On Fri, 15/1/16, Michael A. Ivie
 <mivie at montana.edu>
 >   wrote:
 >   
 >    Subject: Re:
 >   [Taxacom] Paywall our taxonomic
 tidbit
 >    To:
 >   taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    Received: Friday, 15 January, 2016, 12:44
 >   PM
 >   
 >    Com'on, Stephen,
 >   
 >    Publication costs are
 >   allowed
 >    in every grant I have ever
 >   gotten,
 >    reviewed
 >    or
 >   awarded.  It would be simply
 stupid for an agency to
 >    fund
 >    research but not
 >   dissemination of the
 >    findings. It does not
 >   matter how
 >    many
 >    people
 >   want to read it as long as the ones
 important to the
 >   
 >    particular research can read
 >   it.  This is
 >    very simple stuff, very
 >   odd
 >    you don't
 >   
 >   understand
 this.   These costs are a minor
 >    percentage of a
 >    grant, maybe
 >   $300 in a
 >    $25,000 grant.
 >   
 >    Publishing
 >   
 >   is not free, the publisher has costs,
 and someone has to
 >   pay
 >   
 >    those costs. Why would
 >   people think
 >    research costs money but
 >   publishing
 >    does
 >    not?
 >   
 >    Mike
 >   
 >    On 1/14/2016 4:24 PM, Stephen
 >   
 >   Thorpe wrote:
 >    > Cut the ad hominem
 >    rhetoric Frank. I don't see evil
 >   everywhere. But I can
 >    do the maths and see
 >   that $20/page multiplied by many
 >   
 >   thousands/year of taxonomic papers of
 limited interest
 >    amounts to a significant amount of public
 >   money spent on
 >    making stuff available to
 >   read when hardly anyone wants to
 >    read it.
 >   It is also an incentive for some
 authors to pad out
 >    their papers to be as long winded as
 >   possible.
 >    >
 >    >
 >   Stephen
 >    >
 >    >
 >   
 >   --------------------------------------------
 >    > On Fri, 15/1/16, Frank T. Krell
 <Frank.Krell at dmns.org>
 >    wrote:
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   Subject: RE:
 [Taxacom]
 >    Paywall
 >   our taxonomic tidbit
 >    >   To:
 >   "Stephen
 >    Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>,
 >    "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu"
 >    <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>,
 >    "Peter Uetz" <peter at uetz.us>
 >    >   Received: Friday, 15
 January,
 >    2016, 11:51 AM
 >    >
 >    >   Disseminating
 results is
 >    >   an essential part of
 the
 >    scientific endeavor. If public
 >    >   money is intended
 for
 >    research, this includes making the
 >    >   results known.
 >   
 >   >
 >    >   You see evil
 >    >   problems
 everywhere,
 >    don't you, Stephen. Even in a
 >    >   $20/page open
 access
 >    charge.
 >    >
 >    >   Frank
 >    >
 >    >
 >    >   Dr Frank
 >   T. Krell
 >    >   Curator of
 >    >   Entomology
 >   
 >   >   Commissioner,
 >    International
 >    >   Commission
 >    on
 >   Zoological Nomenclature
 >    >   Chair,
 >    >   ICZN ZooBank
 Committee
 >    >   Department of
 Zoology
 >    >
 >    >   Denver
 >   Museum of Nature &
 >    Science
 >    >   2001 Colorado
 >   
 >   Boulevard
 >    >   Denver, CO
 >    80205-5798 USA
 >    >   Frank.Krell at dmns.org
 >    >
 >    >   Phone:
 >   (+1) (303) 370-8244
 >    >   Fax: (+1)
 >   (303) 331-6492
 >    >   http://www.dmns.org/science/museum-scientists/frank-krell
 >    >   lab page: http://www.dmns.org/krell-lab
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   -----Original
 Message-----
 >   
 >   >   From: Taxacom
 [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu]
 >    >   On Behalf Of
 Stephen
 >    Thorpe
 >    >   Sent:
 >   Thursday,
 >    >   January 14, 2016
 3:02
 >   PM
 >    >   To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu;
 >    >   Peter Uetz <peter at uetz.us>
 >    >   Subject: Re:
 [Taxacom]
 >    Paywall our taxonomic
 >   
 >   >   tidbit
 >    >
 >    >   Peter Uetz said:
 >   
 >   >   Just make your
 papers
 >    available
 >   to everybody, not just the
 >    >   few
 >   lucky ones
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   Not sure if
 >    >   he was
 >   being sarcastic? I
 >    hope so. It amounts to
 >   "just
 >    >   make your papers
 >   available to
 >    everybody (whether they
 >   want
 >    >   to read it or not),
 not
 >   just
 >    the few who actually want to
 >    >   read it (and pay for
 it with
 >    public money intended for
 >   
 >   >   research!)"
 >    >
 >    >   Stephen
 >   
 >   >
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   --------------------------------------------
 >    >   On Fri, 15/1/16,
 Peter Uetz
 >    <peter at uetz.us>
 >    >   wrote:
 >   
 >   >
 >    >
 >    Subject:
 >   Re:
 >    >   [Taxacom]
 >   
 >   Paywall our taxonomic tidbit
 >    >
 >    To:
 >    >   taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    >    Received: Friday, 15
 >   January, 2016,
 >    7:20 AM
 >   
 >   >
 >    >
 >   
 >    >    Yes! —
 >   
 >   >   Zootaxa is
 probably the best
 >    deal
 >   you can get.
 >    >    I paid for
 >   an
 >    open access paper in Zootaxa out
 >    >   of my own 
 pocket, and this
 >    was a single author paper.
 >   
 >   >
 >    >    For teams, some
 >   of which may
 >    >   have grant money
 >   available,
 >    it  is a no brainer.
 >    >    Just make
 >   
 >   your papers available to everybody,
 >   
 >   >   not just
 the  few lucky
 >    ones.
 >    >    Especially
 >    >   if you believe that
 nothing
 >    in biology makes  sense except
 >    >   in the light of
 taxonomy,
 >    sorry..., evolution
 >   
 >   >    :)
 >    >
 >    >
 >   
 >   >    >
 >   
 >   ------------------------------
 >    >
 >    >
 >    >    >
 >   Message: 9
 >    >    > Date:
 >   Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:58:22
 >    +1300
 >    >   > From:
 >   
 >   "Geoff Read" <gread at actrix.gen.nz>
 >    >   > To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    >   > Subject:
 [Taxacom]
 >    Paywall our taxonomic tidbit  >
 >    >   Message-ID:
 >   
 >   >    > 
    <88e32d0d97f3055d3f25280814fd767f.squirrel at my.actrix.co.nz>
 >    >    > Content-Type:
 >   
 >   text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
 >    >  > Am I
 >   
 >   >   unreasonable in
 expecting
 >    minor
 >   contributions to  Zootaxa
 >    >   to
 >   be  > affordable for
 >    authors as open
 >   access as a
 >    >   convenience 
 for
 >   their
 >    readers?
 >   
 >   >    > For
 >   
 >   >   instance that's
 USD 20
 >    for
 >   each author in today's
 >    >   worst
 >   2 page case!
 >    >    >
 >   Hopefully they earn
 >    >   (or did) much
 >   more that per
 >    hour.
 >   
 >   >    >
 >    >
 >      > http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4066.2.5
 >    >    >
 >   
 >   >    >
 >    Happens quite
 >    >   frequently -
 >    what
 >   are these contributors  thinking?
 Should
 >   
 >   >   we  >
 perhaps start a
 >    fund to
 >   help them out?
 >    >    >
 >    >    > --
 >   
 >   >
 >    >   > Geoffrey B.
 >   Read,
 >    Ph.D.
 >   
 >   >    >
 >   
 >   >   Wellington, NEW
 ZEALAND
 >   
 >   >    > gread at actrix.gen.nz
 >    >    >
 >   
 >   >
 >    >
 >    >
 >    >
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 >    >    Peter Uetz, PhD
 >    >    Associate
 >   
 >   >   Professor
 >   
 >   >    Center for the Study
 of
 >   
 >   >   Biological
 Complexity
 >    Virginia
 >   Commonwealth University
 >    >
 >    1015 Floyd Ave
 >   
 >   >    PO Box
 >   
 >   >   842030
 >    >
 >      Richmond, VA 23284
 >    >
 >    >
 >    >
 >    Ph: 804-827-4573
 >    >
 >    >    http://csbc.vcu.edu/people/
 >    >    http://www.vcu.edu/csbc/uetz/uetz2.html
 >    >
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   _______________________________________________
 >    >    Taxacom Mailing List
 >    >    Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    >    http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 >    >    The Taxacom Archive
 back
 >   to 1992 may
 >    be
 >   
 >   >   searched at: http://taxacom.markmail.org
 >    >
 >    >
 >    Celebrating 29 years of
 >   
 >   >   Taxacom in
 2016.
 >   
 >   >   _______________________________________________
 >    >   Taxacom Mailing
 List
 >    >   Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    >   http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 >    >   The Taxacom Archive
 back to
 >    1992 may be
 >   
 >   >   searched at:
 >    http://taxacom.markmail.org
 >    >
 >   
 >   >   Celebrating 29
 years of
 >   
 >   >   Taxacom in
 2016.
 >    >
 >   
 >   _______________________________________________
 >    > Taxacom Mailing List
 >   
 >   >
 >    Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    > http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 >    > The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may
 >   be
 >    searched at: http://taxacom.markmail.org
 >    >
 >    > Celebrating 29
 >   years
 >    of Taxacom in 2016.
 >   
 >    --
 >   
 >   __________________________________________________
 >   
 >    Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D.,
 >    F.R.E.S.
 >   
 >    US
 >   Post Office
 >    Address:
 >   
 >   Montana Entomology Collection
 >    Marsh Labs,
 >   Room 50
 >    1911 West
 >    Lincoln
 >   Street
 >    Montana State University
 >    Bozeman, MT 59717
 >    USA
 >   
 >    UPS, FedEx, DHL Address:
 >    Montana Entomology Collection
 >   
 >   Marsh Labs, Room 50
 >    1911 West
 >    Lincoln Street
 >    Montana State
 >   University
 >    Bozeman, MT 59718
 >    USA
 >   
 >   
 >    (406)
 >    994-4610 (voice)
 >    (406) 994-6029 (FAX)
 >    mivie at montana.edu
 >   
 >   
 >   _______________________________________________
 >    Taxacom Mailing List
 >    Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >    http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 >    The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may be
 >    searched at: http://taxacom.markmail.org
 >   
 >    Celebrating 29 years of
 >    Taxacom in 2016.
 >   _______________________________________________
 >   Taxacom Mailing List
 >   Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 >   http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 >   The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may
 be
 >   searched at: http://taxacom.markmail.org
 >   
 >   Celebrating 29 years of
 >   Taxacom in 2016.
 >
 > .
 >
 
 -- 
 __________________________________________________
 
 Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.
 
 US Post Office Address:
 Montana Entomology Collection
 Marsh Labs, Room 50
 1911 West Lincoln Street
 Montana State University
 Bozeman, MT 59717
 USA
 
 UPS, FedEx, DHL Address:
 Montana Entomology Collection
 Marsh Labs, Room 50
 1911 West Lincoln Street
 Montana State University
 Bozeman, MT 59718
 USA
 
 
 (406) 994-4610 (voice)
 (406) 994-6029 (FAX)
 mivie at montana.edu
 



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