Research Cooperative Review (Issue 19, 25th July 2012)

The Research Cooperative

A message to all members (RCR19)

Greetings from Kyoto

Dear Colleagues,

1. UPDATE

Adding groups and inviting members to join them is a labour intensive process. As sole Administrator for the entire network, my ability to add new content and new groups is very limited. To encourage members to be more involved in such efforts, I added a new entry, create a group , in our FAQ. This is now linked to our page giving advice on how to join a group.

2. REVIEW

In recent months it has become obvious that new online journals are being set up by the dozen, or more, using free open-source software, with no effective academic support base.

New journals can only succeed if a particular institution or group of individuals sees a real need for the journal, and can persuade reviewers and contributors and readers to support the journal with their interest, volunteer services, subscription fees, or academic society fees.

In the past, most journals were crafted and developed one by one, issue by issue, over many years, with no expectation of profit. Reputation was earned over time, not self-proclaimed in the first public anouncement.

Now we are being offered many so-called international and global journals that are (i) minimally supported, academically or financially, and (ii) ask authors to pay submission or publishing fees, and (iii) expect fees to be paid to anonymous owners. Such journals are being created ten or twenty at time, by individuals using free open source publishing systems.

As authors, editors, translators, and publishers, please give your support to journals that are the result of sincere efforts by people who can be identified and contacted in multiple ways, and who are willing to take personal responsibility for their work.

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS

I will be travelling in Vietnam for the first two weeks of August, for fieldwork. My access to the internet and ability to respond to messages will be limited during this time.

Thanks for your attention.

Peter M. (Admin., Kyoto)