A Model of Academic Journal Quality with Applications to Open-Access Journals

摘要: Previous research modeled academic journals as platforms connecting authors with readers in a two-sided market. This used the same basic framework also to study telephony, credit cards, video game consoles, etc. In this paper, we focus on key difference between market for and these other markets: vary terms of quality, where journal's quality determined by papers it publishes. We provide simple model journal quality. As an illustration value model, use address issues that have arisen recent debate concerning whether, Internet age, should become open access (freely available readers, financed author rather than subscriber fees). Among issues, examine (a) whether open-access would tend publish more articles traditional journals, moving further down spectrum order boost revenue; (b) affects profitability adopting access; (c) submission fees or acceptance are better instruments extract surplus from authors.