1. Home
    2. Journals
    3. Journal of Biosciences
    4. Volume 38
    5. Issue 2

    • Fulltext

       

        Click here to view fulltext PDF


      Permanent link:
      https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jbsc/038/02/0189-0199

    • Keywords

       

      Editorial policy; impact factors; publishing companies; science journals; science policy

    • Abstract

       

      The advent of online publishing greatly facilitates the dissemination of scientific results. This revolution might have led to the untimely death of many traditional publishing companies, since today’s scientists are perfectly capable of writing, formatting and uploading files to appropriate websites that can be consulted by colleagues and the general public alike. They also have the intellectual resources to criticize each other and organize an anonymous peer review system. The Open Access approach appears promising in this respect, but we cannot ignore that it is fraught with editorial and economic problems. A few powerful publishing companies not only managed to survive, but also rake up considerable profits. Moreover, they succeeded in becoming influential ‘trendsetters’ since they decide which papers deserve to be published. To make money, one must set novel trends, like Christian Dior or Levi’s in fashion, and open new markets, for example in Asia. In doing so, the publishers tend to supplant both national and transnational funding agencies in defining science policy. In many cases, these agencies tend simply to adopt the commercial criteria defined by the journals, forever eager to improve their impact factors. It is not obvious that the publishers of scientific journals, the editorial boards that they appoint, or the people who sift through the vast numbers of papers submitted to a handful of ‘top’ journals are endowed with sufficient insight to set the trends of future science. It seems even less obvious that funding agencies should blindly follow the fashion trends set by the publishers. The perverse relationships between private publishers and public funding agencies may have a toxic effect on science policy.

    • Author Affiliations

       

      Antoinette Molinié1 2 Geoffrey Bodenhausen1 2

      1. Maison de l'Archéologie et de l'Ethnologie (MAE), Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, 21 Allée de l'Université, 92023 Nanterre Cedex, France
      2. Département de Chimie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

    • Dates

       
      Published
      June 2013

  • Journal of Biosciences | News

      Forthcoming Special issue.


    • To trigger further research on plant mitochondria, the Journal of Biosciences is bringing out a special issue titled "Plant Mitochondria: Properties and Interactions with Other Organelles".


      Plant mitochondria are quite distinct and have unique features, such as a cyanide-insensitive alternate pathway. They also interact with chloroplasts to optimize photosynthetic carbon assimilation.


      Submissions are welcome until 30 July 2023. The contributions can be original articles, short communications, reviews, or mini-reviews on any topic related to plant mitochondria.


      Authors can submit their articles online at https://www.editorialmanager.com/jbsc/default2.aspx

      Posted on April 12, 2023
      <

    • Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

      Posted on July 25, 2019

      Click here for Editorial Note on CAP Mode

© 2022-2023 Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru.

Contact | Site index