Socially useful services of scientific journals should be funded by the state

Abstract

The article shows that the share of fundamental research carried out by business varies over time, but remains significant. As a consequence, not all fundamental knowledge is a public good. The uneven accumulation of knowledge, changes in the structure of research and development are highlighted as additional factors affecting publication indicators of the scientific sphere. The closer the research approaches the pre-competitive stage, the less likely it is that the knowledge obtained will be published in scientific journals. The policy of constantly increasing the number of publications in academic journals does not correspond to the nature of the real process of accumulation of fundamental knowledge, does not take into account a very important role of business in this process. The functions performed by scientific journals, including expert analysis of incoming materials and recommendations to the authors, also significantly effect this process. The issue of state funding of scientific journals should be resolved taking into account the fact that their activities are not just servicing the authors of articles, but providing an important service to the whole society. Remuneration of reviewers will contribute to improving the quality of this service.