Paywall

I doubt anyone has ever actually clicked the checkout button on a journal. You often have access through your employer or educational institution, and if not, a quick email to the author is enough to get the PDF. And let’s be honest, Sci-Hub exists too. Yet publishers continue to cling to this revenue model. They hold the copyright to all articles, and you practically have to beg to use your own work for anything.

The concept of a journal once made sense. Before the internet, publishers served as a central hub: researchers submitted their work, reviewers examined it, and once approved it was printed and distributed. That required staff, printing and distribution, so there was a price tag attached. Journals offered convenience and quality.

Today, that is largely redundant. Articles are submitted, reviewed and published online. Reviewers are still unpaid, print editions have all but disappeared, yet the price of access continues to rise. Publishers’ costs are a fraction of what they once were, whilst their profit margins are larger than ever.

What remains is an archaic system defending its position of power at all costs. They market themselves as indispensable and exploit open access as a cash cow to funnel subsidy money their way. But science no longer needs publishers in this form. Open online platforms can guarantee quality just as well, without middlemen growing rich in the process. If Netflix exists, why are we still going to the video shop?