To members of the Meteorological Society of Japan
In recent years, the academic journals landscape has been subject to considerable change, with academic journals coming under increasing competition and financial pressure. The Meteorological Society of Japan (MSJ) is taking various measures to increase the competitiveness of Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan (JMSJ), and we believe that there is an urgent imperative to reduce the publication fee burden on authors. Currently, author fees are the main source of funding for our publications. A large proportion of our publications’ current costs – and of the total charges to authors – are for printing color. By contrast, academic journals that are online-only are able to keep their publication fees low – in part because they do not incur (color) print costs. In the interests of our authors, we are therefore reviewing whether print versions for our publications should be retained.
JMSJ is issued in two formats: print and online (hosted by J-STAGE). Print issues are distributed to B and C members of the MSJ, while the online version can be accessed free of charge by anyone, regardless of their membership status. As the online version of academic journals has become standard, the necessity and value of the print version is diminished.
Therefore, in the future, we propose to shift the publication of JMSJ to online-only. However, we may then offer a print version to members who want one on a full cost recovery basis. This will eliminate the burden of color page charges on authors and will allow MSJ to continue to produce high-quality publications, but at a lower price. For B and C members, instead of a print version, we will supply a DVD once a year at no additional charge. In addition, we are considering preparing additional benefits for B and C members, which we provide in detail below 5).
We are keen to receive feedback from members about our proposed changes. Please complete the following questionnaire to tell us your opinion by 7 April 2017. We will use your response to help us decide the future of the society’s publications.
Deadline: 7 April 2017
After completing the form, please first press the button above and then the button at the bottom right of the next page.
(“確認する” = Next, “戻る” = Back, “送信” = Submit”)
We will initially review responses received by 7 April 2017. However, the membership consultation will remain open and we are especially interested to receive feedback from subscribers of the print edition.
Further information:
1) For MSJ members, there are A, B, C membership types (as described in https://www.metsoc.jp/E/Membership.html). MSJ publications include Tenki, JMSJ and SOLA.
2) The publication fees for JMSJ are stated at http://jmsj.metsoc.jp/instructions.html. The color charge is 21,000 yen / page (maximum).
3) If members choose an annual subscription to the print version of JMSJ in future, the price is expected to be approximately 50,000 yen per year.
4) We plan to change the distribution method of the print version for B and C members at the first opportunity, which is from 2018. The DVD of MSJ publications (Tenki, JMSJ, and SOLA) would be distributed once each year.
5) As a potential bonus for B and C memberst, we may give an appropriate discount to the print cost. We may also offer a discount on JMSJ page charges (or article processing charges).
6) If the society receives a Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (in support of the society’s publications) after the 2018 financial year, it may be possible to offer a lower print version price or reduced page charges.
The prices and schedule of change are still to be confirmed, and they may be refined in future. We will contact you again as soon as the decisions have been made about these developments.
Professor Masaki Satoh
Chief Editor
Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan (JMSJ)