Determining Whether Commercial Publishers Overcharge Libraries for Scholarly Journals in the Fields of Science, Technology, and Medicine, with a Semilogarithmic Econometric Model

• Published in: The Library quarterly (Chicago) Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 150 - 172
• Main Authors: Liu, Lewis G., Gee, Harold
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago The University of Chicago Press 01.04.2017; University of Chicago Press; University of Chicago, acting through its Press
• Subjects: Desktop Publishing; Econometrics; Influence of Technology; Librarians; Library Personnel; Regression analysis; Research methodology
• ISSN: 0024-2519; 1549-652X
• DOI: 10.1086/690736

The issue of whether commercial publishers overcharge libraries for scholarly journal subscriptions has been an important practical concern for researchers and practicing librarians for decades. Recent studies of the issue have not been able to move the research literature toward a consensus but rather have created more controversy. This study addresses this debate in the fields of science, technology, and medicine. More important, an appropriate research methodology is used, including an effective econometric model, a large sample size, and regression analyses by subject area. The study conclusively shows that commercial publishers indeed overcharge libraries by a large margin. Researchers and librarians are urged to move beyond the debate and to focus their research efforts on more open and innovative ways of improving scholarly communication.