HOW RIDICULOUSLY GREEDY CAN ONE GET?

[Jacques Cinq-Mars]

While looking for information on a paper published by Quaternary Science Reviews (Elsevier) http://www.inqua2003.dri.edu/sci_program.htm, I found out, to my surprise, that access to the next INQUA CONGRESS program was only available (online) to subscribers, for the hefty sum of 30 US$! There is something I do not understand here, since the INQUA CONGRESS Home page and the INQUA CONGRESS Scientific Program are freely available on the WEB:

http://www.inqua2003.dri.edu/
http://www.inqua2003.dri.edu/sci_program.htm>

Unless, of course, Elsevier has access to information in a way that – given INQUA’s role – is difficult to understand.

Free, additional information on the Congress can also be found in:

http://www.elsevier.com/homepage/sad/quatper/13_1.pdf

Jacques Cinq-Mars

[abazagaroth]

Elsevier is a disgustingly greedy publisher that is buying up any journal it can get its hands on and then raising subscription rates. They are basically the most expensive journal publisher out there, and publish 64 of the top 100 most expensive journals (the ones in the $4000-$16000 a year range).

They also require all rights to the work be given up by the author to publish with them usually, so they are definitely an evil entity for science and the dissemination of information.