AHA Statement on Scholarly Journal Publishing

On 24 September, 2012 the American Historical Association (AHA) issued a statement on Scholarly Journal Publishing which voiced a number of concerns about open access to articles published in scholarly journals.The statement while admitting that "elements of unfairness" exist in the current system of scholarly journal dissemination, contends that the author pays system often proposed in open access systems generates "new, and more difficult, dilemmas. Requiring authors to pay the costs of their own publications is not the answer. The AHA suggests that historians begin thoughtful conversations at their own institutions and participate in the discussions that we will initiate at our annual meeting, our web site and other appropriate venues."

The full statement.