Ancestors

Written by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl on 2024-09-23 at 18:55

When academic societies keep their journals in the big publishing houses, what do they get in return? Cheap or free infrastructure? Or do they even still pay even for that?

I’m trying to wrap my head around what it would take for societies to transition their journals elsewhere (or have their own infrastructure). Can anyone pitch in with experience?

[#]ScholarlyPublishing

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Written by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl on 2024-09-24 at 13:33

In case anyone else would like to have a look at the inside, let's have a look at the Animal Behaviour Society (@ASAB) which publishes "Animal Behaviour" with Elsevier. I'm a member of ASAB myself, I'm not trying to point fingers, still just beginning to understand the business model of an academic society.

The objective of ASAB is the following: "The object of ASAB and its subsidiary undertaking is the advancement of the science of animal behaviour, the furtherance of education therein, and the promotion of study and research in animal behaviour and related subjects and the publication of the results of all such study and research and certification of clinical animal behaviourists." The journal is one way for them to make money to carry out their activities. But how essential is the journal?

As a UK charity, their finances are available online (https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A13935464&p_p_auth=SbRECIfD&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=268494). It's clear that the journal accounts for the vast majority of income to the journal (page 22-23), and the most significant cash flow both in and out (page 13, Charitable activities). It's a bit blurry to me, but it seems that it costs Elsevier ~£80.000 to produce and distribute the journal, while raking in ~£300.000 in profit (happy to be corrected if it's not correct!). However, the journal also makes ~£150.000 profit on the journal overall (page 23), so financially a good deal.

Overall, in 2022, ASAB had a ~£500.000 deficit which was primarily due to investments underperforming. This, in turn, raises a completely different point I hadn't thought of, namely that I've got no clue what the society invests in. The investment portfolio - really roughly, not at all specified - is available on page 27. All I can tell is that some of the investment funds have "sustainable portfolios", most do not, and from the accounts alone, I've no clue whether that's how the money is invested. Oh, how I would love a page on their website listing how they invest the members' money - especially as a society that knows the impacts some industries have on our planet.

I'm left with a question if nothing more: What are the ethical obligations of academic societies? How far should they go to further their own cause at the expense of the wider scientific community and, in the case of investments, the wellbeing of our planet?

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Toot

Written by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl on 2024-09-24 at 13:57

@ASAB I would like to have a look at the International Society for Neuroethology too, as they operate without journal income, but I cant get to the documents. They should be available at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ under EIN 33-0103940, but although they appear, everything I click is empty. If anyone has more luck, please share. :-)

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