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Journal Inflation: Current Status

Current Status

Sufficient funding, Sage and Wiley renewed January 2022

Status date: January 2022

Support from USU Administration continues to be adequate to sustain current journal subscriptions.

The next major journal package renewals are for Elsevier and Springer-Nature, whose subscriptions currently extend through December 2023.

Contents of This Guide

The dual purposes of this help guide are to report the latest status of journal-package subscriptions at USU and to provide resources on the broader context of the academic journal ecosystem. Follow the links below to read the other pages of this guide.

Current Status/Faculty Feedback
See what’s currently happening with journal packages and learn how to offer your input

Overview of Unbundling
See some background information and how potential unbundling will proceed

Accessing Non-Subscribed Content
Learn how to access journal articles that the Library does not subscribe to

Open Access Publishing
Learn how Open Access works and what it means for you

Contextualizing Your Research Impact
Learn strategies for contextualizing the impact of your research

Further Reading
View a brief list of sources that illustrate issues related to journal unbundling

Background

Bundling

Since the early days of online journal subscriptions, publishers began bundling their journals like cable providers bundle channels. In order to get what we want, we pay for a lot that we don’t want. Overall the value is good, but the price is higher than we want to pay.

Price increases

In addition to bundling, publishers charge inflation to allow profits for their shareholders and to cover the development of new services and journals.  USU administration has funded this inflation for many years. With inflation ranging from 3-5% on bundles and up to 7% on individual journals, the USU Administration may not be able to continue to provide funding for such an unsustainable model. If this should be the case, the USU Campus Community will need to explore other options for providing access to the scholarship our faculty and students need.

Monopoly goods

Another challenge with bundling is that each journal is a monopoly good, with value deriving precisely from that uniqueness. Researchers and institutions create this value in choosing what they will read, where they will publish, and where they serve as peer reviewers. When journals are bundled together into a single unit, institutions have fewer options for determining which journals are of most value to them.

Questions? Contact your department liaison

Contact your liaison librarian with any questions about unbundling. Search for your department on our Subject Liaison List to find your librarian and their contact information.