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New Model for Scholarly Publishing



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http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/07/14/rice

July 14, 2006 | Inside Higher Ed

New Model for Scholarly Publishing

It's hard to attend scholarly meetings these days without someone 
talking about the "crisis of scholarly publishing," which goes something 
like this: Libraries can't afford to buy new scholarly books; in turn, 
university presses can't afford to publish books no one can buy and so 
cut back on their sales of monographs; in turn, junior professors can't 
get their first books published and have a tough time getting tenure.

Rice University on Thursday announced a plan to shake up those 
interconnected problems. Rice University Press, which was killed in 
1996, will be revived. But unlike every other university press, it will 
publish all of its books online only. People will be able to read the 
books for no charge and to download them for a modest fee. Editors will 
solicit manuscripts and peer review panels will vet submissions -- all 
in ways that are similar to the systems in traditional publishing.

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