Scientific publisher Nature Publishing Group's Managing Director Steven Inchcoombe has released the annual letter to customers to provide clarification on NPG's policies for 2011. In this communication, Inchcoombe also shares news on the publisher's progress in 2010 and plans for the coming months.
The publisher recognises the pressure on library budgets, and the need for evolving business models in scholarly communication. According to Inchcoombe, to keep prices as low and predictable as possible, NPG is actively investing in diversifying its income sources, launching open access (OA) journals and driving down costs. Nature Education is one example of this approach, working with sponsors to provide free science education resources to students and teachers around the world.
Two years ago the company announced that it would keep increases on NPG-owned journals below 7 percent for 2009, 2010 and 2011 list prices. There has been extensive discussion about NPG's 2010 and 2011 price increases in recent months. Inchcoombe says that despite the company's efforts, confusion has arisen between list prices and volume discounts for consortia. To clarify this, he has said that there was a 3.5 percent increase from 2009 list price to 2010 list price on site licenses for NPG-owned journals. The 2011 list price increase for NPG-owned journals will be 4.5 percent. List prices for society journals are set independently in consultation with individual societies. Site licence list pricing for academic customers will be published shortly on the NPG Librarian Gateway.
In 2010, prices will come into effect on December 1 for Nature-branded journals, and September 1 for academic and society journals. In 2011 and in future years, list prices will come into effect on October 1 for all NPG titles. Therefore, 2012 list prices will come into effect on October 1, 2011, for both Nature-branded and NPG's academic journals. This synchronises the pricing cycle for all of the journals published by NPG. The 2012 list prices for NPG-owned journals are expected to be announced in April 2011. Meanwhile, NPG will continue to quote prices locally in each of the four invoicing currencies – US dollar, British pound, euro and yen.
In addition, Inchcoombe discussed the 2009 Impact Factor of Nature Journals and Nature Communications, an online-only, multidisciplinary 'hybrid' journal, with subscription and OA options. According to him, OA options are now available on 50 percent of the 50 academic journals published by NPG, including all 15 academic journals owned by NPG. Seven journals published by NPG on behalf of societies offer OA options, with more expected to follow later this year. In January, the company launched the OA journal Cell Death & Disease. This was followed in July by Nutrition & Diabetes and Clinical & Translational Gastroenterology, with more launching later this year.
NPG claims to be one of the first publishers to reduce site licence prices significantly to reflect OA uptake. In keeping with its OA pricing policy, confirmed in March, the 2012 site licence prices of all NPG-owned journals with an OA option will be based only on the amount of subscription content and the selectivity and level of developmental editing of the journal.
Over the past year the publisher has been gathering feedback on Nature and Scientific American (acquired last year) from reader panels and focus groups. With this input, it is working to enhance the journals.
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