I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this documentary here yet. I have some thoughts on scholarly publication, which I’m trying to collate into a coherent framework. I’ll share some of them soon-ish.
If you’re interested in the academic publishing industry then this is a must-see.
Paywall: The Business of Scholarship is a documentary which focuses on the need for open access to research and science. The film questions the rationale behind the $25.2 billion a year that flows into for-profit academic publishers, examines the 35-40% profit margin associated with the top academic publisher, Elsevier, and looks at how that profit margin is often greater than some of the most profitable tech companies such as Apple, Facebook, and Google.