European Business Schools Librarian's Group

ESSEC Working Papers,
ESSEC Research Center, ESSEC Business School

No WP1406: A model of scholarly publishing with hybrid academic journals

Damien Besancenot () and Radu Vranceanu ()
Additional contact information
Damien Besancenot: University of Paris 13 and CEPN, Postal: 99 rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, FRANCE
Radu Vranceanu: ESSEC Business School and THEMA, Postal: 1 AVENUE BERNARD HIRSCH, CS 50105 CERGY, 95021 CERGY PONTOISE CEDEX, FRANCE

Abstract: In April 2013, all of the major academic publishing houses moved thousands of journal titles to an original hybrid model, under which authors of accepted papers can choose between an expensive open access track and the traditional track available only to subscribers. This paper argues that authors might use publication strategy as a quality signaling device. The imperfect information game between authors and readers presents several types of Perfect Bayesian Equilibria, including a separating equilibrium in which only authors of high quality papers are driven toward the open access track. The publishing house will choose the open-access publication fee that supports the emergence of the highest return equilibrium. Journal structures will evolve over time according to the journals' accessibility - quality profiles.

Keywords: Academic publishing; Open access; Knowledge di¤usion; Imperfect information; Signaling

JEL-codes: A14; D52; L23

22 pages, March 2014

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