Authorship capital and reforming the Russian publication system

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of improving the governance of publication systems, within which their actors interact in producing scientific publications, supplying them to readers, as well as in funding and coordinating corresponding processes. It is emphasized that the ownership of a scientific text includes two components: the right to a monetary reward for the use of the article by the consumer and authorship. The first component can be passed to another person, but the second cannot. Authorship is the basis for building up an individual intangible asset, which we call authorship capital. The desire to increase it determines the dual role of the author in the publication system: he is not only a producer of the knowledge embodied in the article, but also, along with the reader, its ultimate consumer. The dual role of the journal is also noted, which, organizing the review process, turns out to be not only a supplier of articles, but also a producer of knowledge. These two features give rise to a variety of possible financing schemes for publishing systems. The specific features of knowledge as a private and public good are analyzed. One of them is the high cost of knowledge consumption. Due to this and a number of other circumstances, the market model for financing publication systems is inefficient; the most important task is the transition to open access. Such a transition should be accompanied by improved methods for evaluating the performance of researchers and the quality of journals. The comparison of large groups of objects (e. g., journals or research institutions) is inevitably based on citation indicators, while expertise can play only a supporting role. On the contrary, when it comes to making decisions within a small group, e. g., when allocating given funds among laboratory members, expert evaluations must play a decisive role. The directions of reform of the Russian publication system are discussed, ensuring the reduction of rent-seeking activity and increasing the adequacy of the indicators used.