GLOBALIZATION AND DISSEMINATION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: CONCENTRATION OF PUBLISHERS AND IMPLICATIONS ON DIFFERENT FIELDS OF SCIENCE

In a globalized world, there is an increasing number of mergers of corporations in order to unify markets on a planetary scale. The dissemination of scientific knowledge is no exception to this standard. An article published in 2015 in the prestigious scientific journal PlosOne, addressing the consolidation of the scientific publishing industry in the period from 1973 to 2013, shows the growth of six commercial publishers - Elsevier, Blackwell, Springer, Taylor & Francis, American Chemical Society and Sage - through acquisitions of smaller publishers, particularly. In 2013, five of these editors covered more than half of all works disseminated through the Web of Science. This concentration of publishers is expressed in different ways in different fields of knowledge production. Following very different paths from those of large international mergers, DEMETRA lies in the opposite direction of commercial interests. Our editorial efforts are aimed at strengthening science, regardless of whether it has already been consolidated or is in the making. We have promoted, on a yearly basis, calls for thematic issues in the field of humanities. And we are open to similar initiatives in other areas of science, while keeping the principles of open access in the dissemination of scientific knowledge. DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2018.32191