The status of open access publishing by academic societies.

The article discusses the status of open access publishing by academic societies. As scholarly journal publishing continues the transition from print-on-paper subscriptions to licensed and open electronic publishing via the Web, the academic societies serving clinicians, faculty, and researchers in the basic and clinical health sciences will play a central role in determining the ultimate success of "open access" alternatives to commercial publishing. The Council of Academic Societies (CAS) Journal Study collected bibliographic, pricing, editorial policy, and other data from each journal and its sponsoring CAS member, leading to a descriptive summary analysis of the status of journal publishing by these societies. Of the 98 CAS members, 51 sponsor or publish at least 1 journal and, altogether, these societies publish just over 100 titles. Nearly half of these journals are published by or with the help of a commercial publisher, with Elsevier publishing twice as many as the next largest commercial publisher of these journals.