Author Archives: Martin Haspelmath

John Benjamins Publishing Company on the future of linguistics publishing

The following is an interview with John Benjamins Publishing Company (JB) concerning the future of linguistics publishing. Martin Haspelmath thanks Anke de Looper and Kees Vaes for contributing. Question: Do you agree that the increasing trend toward self-archiving, whether on … Continue reading

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How would non-selective author-pays publication (“mega-journals”) transform our science?

The “mega-journal” trend, which has arrived in the humanities (including linguistics) may turn out to seriously disadvantage junior researchers, independent researchers, and researchers from low-income countries. This is not good for science. In the 20th century, scientific publication served two … Continue reading

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Three scenarios for the future of linguistics publishing

The way in which scientific research results are disseminated and published has undergone major changes since the end of the 20th century, and linguistics is no exception. What changes will the future bring? What are the stakes? What should linguists … Continue reading

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Science publication should be seen as a public service (just like science itself)

Who should pay for scientific publications: the readers, via subscriptions fees, as has been the universal model until recently? Or the authors/research funders, via APCs (author processing charges)? Often, these are seen as the only two possibilities, but I would … Continue reading

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The prestige of the publisher’s brand name – an underestimated factor in science book publication costs

Complaining about high publication costs in science has become commonplace, but why is it that scientists are not choosing cheaper publication venues? As Christoph Bruch remarked recently, it seems that “scientists depend on publishers like junkies depend on their dealers”. … Continue reading

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