A recent article in The Scientist reports that nearly 4,500 researchers have signed an agreement to refrain from publishing in, refereeing, and/or performing editorial services for Elsevier. This boycott was launched when Cambridge Mathematician Timothy Gowers detailed Elsevier’s high prices and practice of bundling journals in package deals. This alludes to Science Direct. The site encouraging scientists to boycott is at http://www.thecostofknowledge.com/ .
As a librarian for a technological college, I am concerned about journal prices and how they take up a very large percentage of our materials budget. Science and engineering journals are more expensive than those in the humanities or social sciences.
Why single out Elsevier when journal costs from other private publishers are very high as well? Even journals from professional societies are very expensive. Will boycotting just Elsevier solve this problem? Is open access publishing the answer?
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