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Roger Clarke's 'A Cost-Profile of Journal-Publishing'

A Cost-Profile of Journal-Publishing
Appendix 3: Association, with a Single Journal, in Hard-Copy

Version of 24 March 2006

This document is an Appendix to 'A Cost-Profile of Journal-Publishing'

© Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 2005-06

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This document is at http://www.rogerclarke.com/EC/JP-CP-ASJHC.html


Category Description

This Appendix presents an indicative cost-profile for a particular kind of journal-publisher.

The organisational category addressed here is an Association that publishes a single journal, in hard-copy but also with an electronic version, primarily as a service to its members, and secondarily for subscribers and (probably on a deferred basis) the general public. The revenue model is based on allocation of a proportion of the membership-fee.

It is not an formally an eJournal, but publishes the Contents of its Issues, probably including Abstracts and (probably with some qualifications) the full text of the articles, on its own web-site.

It is assumed to comprise quarterly Issues, each with 7-8 articles, for a total of 30 articles p.a.


Costs

Establishment Costs

1

Conception and articulation of the journal's name, scope, philosophy and modus operandiUndertaken by senior academics
2Preliminary negotiations within the intellectual communityUndertaken by senior academics
3Preliminary negotiations with potential providers of operational resourcesUndertaken by senior academics
4Preliminary negotiations with potential providers of infrastructureUndertaken by senior academics
5Acquisition of investment and working capitalUndertaken by senior academics
6Appointment of Board, Editor and Editorial Committee(s)Undertaken by senior academics
7Accumulation of Referees ListUndertaken by senior academics
8Acquisition of infrastructureUndertaken by senior academics, with some support from Association executives, and with the Web-site run probably using gratis, open source tools
9Acquisition of operational resourcesUndertaken by senior academics, but probably with a budget for an Assistant to the Editor
10Acquisition of intellectual property (logos, trademarks, copyrights, licences)Undertaken by senior academics, with some support from Association executives
11Preparation of formal components of the printed journal and web-siteUndertaken by senior academics, with some support from Association executives
12Preparation of web-siteSupervised by senior academics, with some support from Association executives, and undertaken by junior academics or students
13Announcement to the communityUndertaken by senior academics
14Issue of initial calls for papersUndertaken by senior academics

Operations Costs

• Submission-Related

1

Receipt, acknowledgement and management Editor, Editorial Committee and Referees, supported by a paid

assistant, and possibly also by junior academics or students

$12,000 p.a., equivalent to $3,000 per Issue or $400 per article

2Conduct and management of the assessment processEditor, Editorial Committee and Referees, generally gratis, but possibly with an honorarium for the Editor, and possibly allowances, free advertising or similar partial recompense

• Article-Related

1

Production-editingPartly by the Editor or a member of the Editorial Committee, partly by junior academics or students, and partly for-fee by an outsourced service provider

$10,000 p.a., equivalent to $2,500 per Issue or $330 per article

2CataloguingPartly by the Editor or a member of the Editorial Committee, and partly by junior academics or students

• Issue-Related

1

EditorialEffort by the Editor
2Production-editingPartly by the Editor or a member of the Editorial Committee, partly by junior academics or students, and partly for-fee by an outsourced service provider, but included above

3ProductionFor hard-copy issues, for-fee by an outsourced service provider
Assuming 10,000 copies per Issue and $1.50 per tome, then $60,000 p.a., equivalent to $15,000 per Issue or $2,000 per article
For the Web-site, by the Editor, partly supported by a junior academic or student, and partly by an outsourced service provider
$5,000 p.a., equivalent to $1,250 per Issue or $250 per article
4ProtectionNone
5DistributionFor-fee by an outsourced service provider
Assuming 10,000 copies per Issue, then $20,000 p.a., equivalent to $5,000 per Issue or $700 per article

• Generic

1

MarketingLimited, undertaken primarily by senior academics, with some for-fee support from an outsourced service provider
$5,000 p.a., equivalent to $1,250 per Issue or $170 per article
2Customer relationship managementAn Association responsibility and cost
3Archive managementDependent on libraries and on the Association
4IndexingDependent on indexing services and on commercial search-engines such as Google, or using an on-site search-engine, probably open-source and gratis
5GovernanceUndertaken by the Editor and Editorial Committee, in conjunction with Association executives

Infrastructure-Maintenance Costs

1

Editor and Editorial Committee(s)Undertaken by senior academics
2A pool of refereesUndertaken by senior academics
3Communications channelsArranged by senior academics, supported by junior academics or students
4Norms for communications and formattingUndertaken by senior academics
5Production facilitiesUndertaken by the Editor and Editorial Committee, in conjunction with Association executives
6Subscription-list facilitiesUndertaken by the Editor and Editorial Committee, in conjunction with Association executives
7Distribution mechanismsUndertaken by the Editor and Editorial Committee, in conjunction with Association executives

Financial Costs

1

Interest on investment capitalVery little
2Interest on working capitalVery little

TOTAL COSTS

EstablishmentNil
Operations – Submission-Related$12,000 p.a., equivalent to $3,000 per Issue or $400 per article
Operations – Article-Related$10,000 p.a., equivalent to $2,500 per Issue or $330 per article
Operations – Issue-Related$85,000 p.a., equivalent to $21,250 per Issue or $2,850 per article
Operations – Generic$5,000 p.a., equivalent to $1,250 per Issue or $170 per article
Infrastructure MaintenanceNegligible
FinancialNegligible
TOTAL$112,000 p.a., $28,000 per Issue or $3,750 per article


Business Model

The undertaking is funded from the membership fees paid by Members of the Association, perhaps to some extent offset by non-member subscriptions (particularly libraries and other institutions) and advertising. For an Association of 10,000 Members, the publishing costs of the journal are up to about $11 p.a. (of a fee of perhaps $300).



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