Author-paid publication fees corrupt science and should be abandoned

Thomas J H Morgan and Paul E Smaldino

Science and Public Policy, 2025, vol. 52, issue 5, 805-809

Abstract: Author-paid publication fees, often associated with so-called “gold” open access journals, lead to the corruption of science by incentivizing the publication of low-quality research and exacerbate inequalities between institutions that are prestigious and well-funded and those that are less so. Pressures to pay article processing fees on the part of funding agencies and university libraries waste research funding and stymie efforts to establish more sustainable publishing systems. We recommend a total abandonment of author-paid publication fees for academic research, the publication of which is typically a public good yet serves to enrich publishers while degrading research outputs. Alternative approaches related to “green” and “diamond” open access are cautiously recommended, as is a refocusing on society-run journals. We encourage the search for alternative models for evaluating and publicizing scientific research, including the formal modelling of competing approaches.

Keywords: Publication Fees; Article Processing Charges; Open Access; Cultural Evolution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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