The Curious Case of Academic Publishing

Abstract

The recent controversy over The Edwin Mellen Press lawsuit against McMaster University librarian Dale Askey is considered a symptom of a larger problem: the unsustainable demands from the academy itself which have created a market for publishers like Edwin Mellen. The overproduction of doctorates combined with the relentless demand faculties place upon their members to produce publishable research — as well as sometimes rigid gatekeeping of acceptable scholarship — have contributed to the creation of a lucrative market for “alternative” publishing venues — many of them of questionable quality and reputation. Until academic culture changes to admit fewer doctoral students and to judge quality over quantity when conducting tenure reviews, the market for academic publishing will only continue to grow, thereby presenting librarians with an increasingly complex collection management problem.