PDF - CARL - ABRC

For journals in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), publishers are eligible for government
grants from the federal government (e.g. SSHRC) as well as the Quebec government, although,
these grants do not generally cover the full costs of publishing. The SSHRC subsidy program
currently supports over 150 Canadian journals. A recent article describing the situation with
Canadian SSH journals asserts, “Were subsidies not in place, few Canadian social science and
humanities (SSH) journals would exist: the market is simply not big enough to support such
publications. Without such journals, Canadian research would become far less visible.” 6
Several university libraries in Canada 7 have recently launched open access funds that enable their
authors to publish in fee-based open access journals. The funds divert subscription monies
towards open access publications and pay for article processing fees or institutional memberships.
The case studies detailed below demonstrate some of the new funding models being employed by
open access journals/publishers in Canada.
Case Study: Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie
http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/CJS/index
The Canadian Journal of Sociology is an open access journal that publishes rigorously peerreviewed
research articles and innovative theoretical essays by social scientists from around the
world, providing insight into the issues facing Canadian society as well as social and cultural
systems in other countries.
In 2007, the journal transitioned from subscription model to open access. The editor made the
decision to adopt an open access model principally in order to broaden the journal’s readership in
Canada and abroad, ultimately improving the impact of the journal. In addition, the editor
believed that the move was necessary in order to attract a younger generation of readers and
authors.
As part of the transition, the journal left University of Toronto Press and moved to the University
of Alberta site. The editor discontinued the print version of the journal and since 2008, they have
published in electronic format only, using the OJS software. The costs of publishing declined
significantly because most of their subscription revenues “went to cover the costs associated with
producing a print volume, such as printing, subscription management and postage” 8 . The major
costs for the journal are the salary of the editorial assistant and some funds to occasionally
purchase new technology.
6
Lorimer et al. pg. 175
7
University of Calgary, University of Ottawa, and Simon Fraser University have all recently announced OA funds.
8
Haggerty, pg. 1
7