None of these companies shows any inclination to abandon its traditional content business, and for sound reasons. These publishers continue to use data and data analytics services to their customers, not content to just growing their traditional core business. Why should we as academics care? Well, the move by publishers into the core research and teaching missions of colleges and universities, with tools aimed at evaluating productivity and performance, means that the academic community could lose control over vast areas of its core activities. While Elsevier is the example, it could be followed by any of the other big publishers. Here's the type of influence that publishers have:
(1) Research Prediction - Publishers could identify, through the analysis of research and publication
patterns and the quality and reach of their collaboration networks, which
researchers are likely to grow into future leaders in their respective fields and offer
them editorial board positions on their journals ahead of other publishers.
(2) Disciplines - They could also identify which segments of various disciplines are likely to evolve into the next growth area for research by looking (for example) at project participation patterns, size, and quality of teams, and funding bodies’ decisions, targeting these segments with new, dedicated journals ahead of other publishers.
(3) Funding - They could isolate in advance new trends in interdisciplinary studies, allowing it to establish publication forums where none exist today and even driving funding decisions which lead to accelerated growth for those types of research.
As we can see, we are heading into uncharted territory, at least in the digital and data age. While Elsevier and these other publishers have been duly noted for their questionable practices and growing influence in academic publishing, (for better or worse, mostly for the worst) publishers need to face more scrutiny and the types of data they offer disguised as better services. Question is: will we listen?
(2) Disciplines - They could also identify which segments of various disciplines are likely to evolve into the next growth area for research by looking (for example) at project participation patterns, size, and quality of teams, and funding bodies’ decisions, targeting these segments with new, dedicated journals ahead of other publishers.
(3) Funding - They could isolate in advance new trends in interdisciplinary studies, allowing it to establish publication forums where none exist today and even driving funding decisions which lead to accelerated growth for those types of research.
As we can see, we are heading into uncharted territory, at least in the digital and data age. While Elsevier and these other publishers have been duly noted for their questionable practices and growing influence in academic publishing, (for better or worse, mostly for the worst) publishers need to face more scrutiny and the types of data they offer disguised as better services. Question is: will we listen?
