'Scientific journals are not needed anymore': paywalls vs. taxpayers
_akpiper · x · 2026-09-04
Quoted user @jonatanpallesen argues that scientific journals today do two main things: take payment for work other people did, and prevent a large share of people from accessing the research — both bad, and especially egregious for taxpayers who funded the research but cannot read it.
He concedes journal submission benefits individual researchers' prestige and careers, which is why the system persists, but that is separate from its overall societal effect.
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