Mega journal
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A mega journal (also mega-journal and megajournal) is a peer-reviewed academic open access journal designed to be much larger than a traditional journal by exercising low selectivity among accepted articles. It was pioneered by PLOS ONE.[1][2] This "very lucrative publishing model"[2] was soon emulated by other publishers.
Definition
A mega journal has the following defining characteristics:broad coverage of different subject areas;[1][2][3][4][5]
accepting articles for publication based on whether they are technically sound rather than selecting for perceived importance;[1][2][3][4][5][6] and
using article processing charges to cover the costs of publishing.[1][3][5]
Other less universal characteristics are"an accelerated review and publication process",[2] "fast turnaround time";[6]
"academic editors",[6] even "a large editorial board of academic editors",[5] (instead of professional editors); and
value-added services such as reusable graphics and data through Creative Commons licenses.[7]
Mega journals are also online-only, with no printed version, and are fully open access, in contrast to hybrid open access journals.[7] Some "predatory" open access publishers use the mega journal model.[1]
Influence[edit]
It has been suggested that the academic journal landscape might become dominated by a few mega journals in the future, at least in terms of total number of articles published.[8] Megajournals are also disrupting[clarification needed] the market of article processing charges.[9] Their business model may not motivate reviewers, who donate their time to "influence their field, gain exposure to the most current cutting edge research or list their service to a prestigious journal on their CVs."[10] Finally, they may no longer serve as "fora for the exchange ... among colleagues in a particular field or sub-field", as traditionally happened in scholarly journals.[11] To counter that indiscrimination, PLOS ONE, the prototypical megajournal, has started to "package relevant articles into subject-specific collections."[12]
List of mega journals
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