The editor in chief of a Wiley journal has resigned, saying the publisher recently has “seemed to emphasize cost-cutting and margins over good editorial practice.”
We agree with this move by chief editor and their associate editors. Academic publishing should be about the quality distribution of scientific knowledge, not maximising profits. The imposition of APC fees on researchers from outside the wealthiest countries and institutions creates a real barrier to participation and inclusion. Persisting with levying of these charges is unacceptable and suggest that they care more about profit then academic knowledge. One is left wondering, isn’t this just another form of predatory publishing?
Editorial boards of at least three other journals have recently resigned en masse, or threatened to resign, amid similar disputes.
Michael Dawson, editor in chief of the Journal of Biogeography, published a blog post announcing his resignation on June 21. In it, he wrote:
It is becoming increasingly hard to stave off the undesirable consequences of the primary motivations of the the for-profit scientific publishing industry.
He listed several concerns from his resignation letter, including proposed growth targets, equity issues in adopting an open access model in which authors pay fees to publish their work, and compensation for the editors. He wrote:
In trying to initiate discussions with Wiley about these issues, and being rebuffed multiple times, I came to the conclusion that the opportunities for improvement at the journal that appeared available until late-2022, had receded. What Wiley has failed to understand is that our interests are their interests. These issues seemed symptomatic of larger problems with the for-profit scientific publishing industry. I concluded I could do more by leaving than by staying.
