Asian journals are doin' it for themselves

The 1985 hit song, “Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves”, recorded by the UK duo Eurythmics and the US soul artist Aretha Franklin became a feminist anthem marking the idea that women did not need the support or permission of men in order to take charge of their destinies. They could define success on their own terms. Scientific publishers, researchers, scholars, clinicians, grantmaking bodies, and other voices within and connected to academic, scientific, and medical literature and information publishing have been grappling with similar opportunities and challenges with respect to reliance on traditional publishers since the advent of the new information age. The journal Nature introduced a 2013 special issue on “The Future of Publishing” with this observation: After nearly 400 years in the slow-moving world of print, the scientific publishing industry is suddenly being thrust into a fast-paced online world of cloud computing, crowd sourcing and ubiquitous sharing. Long-established practices are being challenged by new ones….