Open Access, Toll Access, And Hybrid Journals: New (and not so New) Business Models in Academic Publishing

For more than two centuries the business models used by the publishers of academic journals remained basically unchanged. However, in the last two decades, the advent of desktop publishing and of the internet caused a sudden change in business models. Traditional business models, based on traditional printing technology and traditional distribution channels are now being replaced by open-access and hybrid publishing models, which adopt digital publishing technologies and new distribution channels. The paper analyses how this new business models were adopted by both new and established publishers of academic journals, and what are the consequences of the adoption of new business models in academic publishing for the academic community. For the authors of academic papers, one of the most important changes is that the publishing cost are not anymore paid by the readers of the journals who traditionally had to purchase them, but by the authors themselves (or their institutions), who now have to pay for publication.