The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) has released a new guide which examines the issue of sustainability for current and prospective open-access publishers. The new guide, ‘Income models for Open Access: An overview of current practice,’ examines the use of supply-side revenue streams (such as article processing fees, advertising) and demand-side models (including versioning, use-triggered fees). The guide provides an overview of income models currently in use to support open-access journals, including a description of each model along with examples of journals currently employing it.
Since its inception, SPARC has supported publishing models and policy initiatives that broaden access to the peer-reviewed results of research, and has recognised that this has financial implications for society and other nonprofit publishers. The new SPARC guide aims to support the development of sound open-access publishing business models by providing an overview of current practice as well as practical guidance for publishers in evaluating the viability and financial potential of selected income models.
Developing a sound business model is a critical concern for all publishers and the process can be especially challenging for those considering open-access distribution. The guide recognises that the needs of individual journals differ, and that publishers will apply a variety of income models to support open-access distribution. The right model must take into account not only the publisher’s need to cover expenses, but also the organisation’s mission objectives, size, business management resources, and other factors.
‘Income models for Open Access: An overview of current practice’ is available for free to read or download online. The guide is supplemented by an extensive Web resource, which invites community discussion on models described as well as contributions related to new and other models. The resource is available online at http://www.arl.org/sparc/publisher/incomemodels/.
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