JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE SUBMISSION FEE

It just had to come. First they go weekly, then they charge for submission. It'll feel like prostituting the brain for science. I suppose their impact factor shouldn't be damaged by this; rather it's because of the impact factor that they can do this. However, will it lead to even more of a polarization of the journal's published results: with only the larger labs willing to supply the cash for riskier publications? And, having been burnt several times before, would a smaller lab with interesting results still want to go to JN, or pump 'me out faster (hey, 2 X 1.5 = 3) at other sources like EJN?


"Beginning January 5, 2004, new submissions to The Journal of Neuroscience will be subject to a submission fee of $50, in accordance with a decision made by the SfN Council at its meeting in New Orleans.

Why has SfN come to this decision? The number of submitted manuscripts continues to grow rapidly (currently 6000 per year). In the past, the substantial cost of peer review was subsidized entirely by revenue associated with published papers (author page charges, subscription fees, and advertising). With the startup of the new online submission process, the volume of new submissions required that we reassess the Journal's economic structure. As a Society journal, The Journal of Neuroscience is supported by a combination of sources, including individual and institutional subscribers, Society members, and authors. The submission fee will cover a small portion of the costs associated with peer review, and will help insure the financial viability of the Journal going forward.

The submission fee will be payable through a simple online transaction. Corresponding authors will be asked to pay the fee by credit card at a secure site when they complete the online manuscript submission process. Authors may print receipts, if one is required for reimbursement by their institutions. The Journal will consider requests to waive the fee for well documented cases of extreme financial hardship."