Ken Gillman: Medical science publishing: A slow-motion train wreck

Samuel Gershon’s comment

            I can simply report on my own experience as co-editor of the International Journal of Bipolar Disorders started 20 odd years ago. During the past 10 years, in order to save money, the Journal:

1. cancelled our rent contract for office space located at Pittsburgh University resulting in no work space for an office, managing editor or location to go over journal issues, if needed;

2. fired the assistant to the office manager;  

3. fired the office manager who had been with the journal since it started; and

4. forced the removal and destruction of all records and files since we had nowhere to store them.

With the journal in this state it needed a resuscitation team to help fix it.  For my part, I resigned and my co-editor has tried to carry on valiantly with one generous colleague who stepped in to maintain the journal at another site.

Now a group in Europe has started publishing with our journal name, but it is no longer published on paper, only digitally, yet the price is the same.   

You can not have a journal without meaningful ongoing investment and supervision.  Very old joke:  no pay — no play.

May 23, 2019