IEEE
Council keeps new journal affordable
BY KATHY
KOWALENKO
Editor, The Institute
When IEEE
Sensors Council President John Vig helped his library at the U.S.
Army Research Laboratory, Ft. Monmouth, N.J., USA, cut costs by
eliminating subscriptions to journals, it was an eye-opening
experience for him. "Until then, if I needed a journal, I would ask
the library to order it and I would not have to consider the prices.
Suddenly, I was on a committee that had to decide which ones to
cut," says Vig. "I was flabbergasted when I learned that the prices
of some commercially published journals can range to more than
US$20,000."
This
cost-cutting exercise came in handy for Vig when the IEEE Sensors
Council began researching competitive publications and their prices
in the sensors field as background for its proposal to launch a
sensors journal. Sensors are a multi-billion dollar industry, and an
important area of research and development. The automotive sensor
market alone is nearly US$6 billion. The IEEE's journal will focus
on the numerous sensor technologies spanned by IEEE societies, as
well as emerging sensor technologies.
Commercial
organizations -- rather than professional societies -- control most
sensor publications, symposia and exhibits. The yearly subscription
price for the dominant journal in the field is US$5,200.
To find a way to
keep the price of the journal affordable, the IEEE Sensors Council
began discussions with the Scholarly Publishing & Academic
Resources Coalition (SPARC), an alliance of libraries that fosters
expanded competition in scholarly communication. SPARC creates
"partnerships" with publishers that are developing high-quality,
economical alternatives to existing high-priced publications. If an
agreement can be reached, IEEE Sensors Journal will be the
first partnership between the IEEE and SPARC. By partnering with
publishers, SPARC aims to create a more competitive marketplace
where the cost of journal acquisition is reduced, and publishers who
are responsive to customer needs are rewarded by increased
subscriptions by libraries.
IEEE Sensors
Journal will be a direct challenge to the dominant commercial
journal. "I have been advocating that the IEEE compete more
aggressively and create publications in areas where we have a strong
interest and where the commercial publications are dominant," says
Vig. "The IEEE's goal is not to maximize its income, and it
shouldn't be. Our goal should be the maximum dissemination of
technical information while maintaining financial viability. Just
because we could sell a journal for twice the price is not a reason
for us to double the price. People who publish should be aware of
the price of journals, because why publish in a journal you can't
afford when there is an alternative you can afford? I don't know of
many engineers who can afford US$5,200 a year for a subscription."
To be launched
in June 2001, the cost of the journal will be US$19 for members and
US$490 for institional subscribers.
The deadline for
submissions for the inaugural issue is 1 Sept. Initially, IEEE
Sensors Journal will be published bimonthly.
To attract a
wider audience than just sensor researchers, the journal will
emphasize applications and review papers. It will be fully refereed
and will use an online peer review system. Current and back issues
will be available through IEEE Xplore. For more information
about the Council or the Journal, visit "http://www.ieee.org/sensors".