Journal declarations of independence: Difference between revisions

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* By a journal ''declaration of independence'', we mean the resignation of editors from a journal in order to launch a comparable journal with a friendlier publisher or less-restrictive access policies. The kinds we are collecting for this list usually have two stages. First, an editor or group of editors resigns from a journal in order to protest its high subscription price or audience-limiting access rules. This is usually accompanied by a public statement explaining "the causes which impel them to the separation" (to quote Thomas Jefferson). Second, some of the resigning editors create a new free or affordable alternative journal to compete with the first and to embody their vision of wide access.  
* By a journal ''declaration of independence'', we mean the resignation of editors from a journal in order to launch a comparable journal with a friendlier publisher or less-restrictive access policies. The kinds we are collecting for this list usually have two stages. First, an editor or group of editors resigns from a journal in order to protest its high subscription price or audience-limiting access rules. This is usually accompanied by a public statement explaining "the causes which impel them to the separation" (to quote Thomas Jefferson). Second, some of the resigning editors create a new free or affordable alternative journal to compete with the first and to embody their vision of wide access.  
** We include a few cases in which editors resigned ''en masse'' from a journal to protest restrictive access policies, but have not (or not yet) launched a new, less-restrictive journal.  
** We include a few cases in which editors resigned ''en masse'' from a journal to protest restrictive access policies, but have not (or not yet) launched a new, less-restrictive journal.  
* We borrow the term "declaration of independence" for this phenomenon from the [http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC] project to assist journals in [http://www.arl.org/sparc/DI/ Declaring Independence]. Of course, SPARC borrowed the term from the U.S. [https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=1&title.raw=Declaration%20of%20Independence Declaration of Independence].  
* We borrow the term "declaration of independence" for this phenomenon from [https://sparcopen.org/ SPARC's] 2001 project to assist journals in [https://web.archive.org/web/20151109062238/http://sparc.arl.org/sites/default/files/Declaring_Independence.pdf Declaring Independence] ([https://declaring-independence.org/ revived in 2018]). Of course, SPARC borrowed the term from the U.S. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence Declaration of Independence].
* This list started as a [http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/lists.htm#declarations non-wiki list] maintained by [https://cyber.harvard.edu/~psuber/wiki/Peter_Suber Peter Suber], who moved it to OAD in April 2008.
* For data how the new journals fare, after editors resign from an older journal in order to launch the new one, see Mark Wilson, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170413203850/https://mcw.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/2016/10/08/what-happens-to-journals-that-break-away/ What happens to journals that break away?] October 8, 2016. (Preview: Most new journals do better than the old journals.)
* Related lists in OAD: [[Journals that converted from TA to OA]].
* For real-time updates, some not yet reflected here, follow the [http://tagteam.harvard.edu/hubs/oatp/tag/oa.declarations_of_independence oa.declarations_of_independence] tag of the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/hoap/Open_Access_Tracking_Project Open Access Tracking Project].
* Wikidata identifier for this page: [https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56229222 Q56229222].
* Also see the [https://retractionwatch.com/the-retraction-watch-mass-resignations-list/ Mass Resignations List] from [https://retractionwatch.com/ Retraction Watch].
* Chronological order.  
* Chronological order.  


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** (old journal, new name) [http://www.springer.com/life+sci/plant+sciences/journal/11258 ''Plant Ecology'']  
** (old journal, new name) [http://www.springer.com/life+sci/plant+sciences/journal/11258 ''Plant Ecology'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.opuluspress.se/jvs/jvs.htm ''Journal of Vegetation Science''] (inactive link; now published [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1654-1103 here])
** (new journal) [http://www.opuluspress.se/jvs/jvs.htm ''Journal of Vegetation Science''] (inactive link; now published [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1654-1103 here])
** Robert Peet's [http://www.lib.unc.edu/prices/1989/PRIC13.HTML#13.9 brief account] of the background.  
** Robert Peet's [https://web.archive.org/web/19991013041045/http://www.lib.unc.edu/prices/1989/PRIC13.HTML#13.9 brief account] of the background.  
** Van der Maarel's [http://lists.topica.com/lists/fos-forum/read/message.html?mid=902159566&sort=d&start=44 statement on the background of his resignation]. November 8, 1998.  
** Van der Maarel's [https://web.archive.org/web/20101116021937/http://lists.topica.com/lists/fos-forum/read/message.html?mid=902159566&sort=d&start=44 statement on the background of his resignation]. November 8, 1998.  
** Van der Maarel's [http://www.opuluspress.se/pub/1.001-4.pdf editorial] for the first issue ''Journal of Vegetation Science'' (February 1990) on the need for the new journal.  
** Van der Maarel's [http://www.opuluspress.se/pub/1.001-4.pdf editorial] for the first issue ''Journal of Vegetation Science'' (February 1990) on the need for the new journal. ([https://www.jstor.org/stable/3236047 Copy] via JSTOR)
** JVS became a [http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC] [http://lists.topica.com/lists/fos-forum/read/message.html?mid=903886544&sort=d&start=124 partner] in March 2002.
** JVS became a [http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC] [https://web.archive.org/web/20061231121116/http://lists.topica.com/lists/fos-forum/read/message.html?mid=903886544&sort=d&start=124 partner] in March 2002.


==1996==
==1996==
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** (old journal) [http://www.springer.com/life+sci/journal/10682 ''Evolutionary Ecology'']  
** (old journal) [http://www.springer.com/life+sci/journal/10682 ''Evolutionary Ecology'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.evolutionary-ecology.com/ ''Evolutionary Ecology Research'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.evolutionary-ecology.com/ ''Evolutionary Ecology Research'']  
** Michael Rosenzweig's [http://www.arl.org/sparc/rosenzweig.html statement on the background of his resignation]. April 11, 1999 (inactive link; see an alternate Rosenzweig discussion of the split [http://www.evolutionary-ecology.com/citizen/spring00speech.pdf here]).
** Michael Rosenzweig's [https://web.archive.org/web/20000208064911/http://www.arl.org/sparc/rosenzweig.html statement on the background of his resignation]. April 11, 1999.
** See [http://www.evolutionary-ecology.com/citizen/spring00speech.pdf another Rosenzweig account] of the split, undated.
** See Danielle Padula, [https://blog.scholasticahq.com/post/one-editor-s-experience-declaring-independence-from-a-corporate-publisher-and-thoughts-on-the-future/ One Editor's Experience Declaring Independence From A Corporate Publisher and Thoughts on the Future], ''Scholastica blog'', December 29, 2015.


* In 1998 most of the editorial board of the ''Journal of Academic Librarianship'' resigned to protest the large hike in the subscription price imposed by Pergamon-Elsevier after it bought the journal from JAI Press. Several of the editors who resigned then created ''Portal: Libraries and the Academy'' at Johns Hopkins University Press.  
* In 1998 most of the editorial board of the ''Journal of Academic Librarianship'' resigned to protest the large hike in the subscription price imposed by Pergamon-Elsevier after it bought the journal from JAI Press. Several of the editors who resigned then created ''Portal: Libraries and the Academy'' at Johns Hopkins University Press.  
** (old journal) [http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620207/description#description ''Journal of Academic Librarianship''].  
** (old journal) [http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620207/description#description ''Journal of Academic Librarianship''].  
** (new journal) [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/pla/ ''Portal: Libraries and the Academy''].  
** (new journal) [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/pla/ ''Portal: Libraries and the Academy''].  
** Gloriana St. Clair's [http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v001/1.1st_clair.html statement in Portal 1.1 on the need for Portal]. Accessible only to paid MUSE subscribers.  
** Gloriana St. Clair's [https://web.archive.org/web/20101109144414/http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v001/1.1st_clair.html statement in Portal 1.1 on the need for Portal]. Accessible only to paid MUSE subscribers.  
** Steve McKinzie and Jocelyn Godolphin's [http://libres.curtin.edu.au/libres11n1/smjg.htm comments on the resignations]  
** Steve McKinzie and Jocelyn Godolphin's [https://web.archive.org/web/20010422210536/http://libres.curtin.edu.au/libres11n1/smjg.htm comments on the resignations]  
** Tony Seward's [http://libres.curtin.edu.au/LIBRE11N2/ reply and correction] to McKenzie's comments.  
** Tony Seward's [https://web.archive.org/web/20011224160742/http://libres.curtin.edu.au/LIBRE11N2/ reply and correction] to McKenzie's comments.  
** Coverage in [http://lists.topica.com/lists/suber-fos/read/message.html?mid=1605194865&sort=d&start=0 FOSN for 10/26/01].
** Coverage in [https://web.archive.org/web/20061231121109/http://lists.topica.com/lists/suber-fos/read/message.html?mid=1605194865&sort=d&start=0 FOSN for 10/26/01].


==1999==
==1999==
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==2001==  
==2001==  
* Early in 2001, a handful of editors of ''Topology and Its Applications'' (Elsevier) resigned in order to create ''Algebraic and Geometric Topology'' (University of Warwick and International Press), a free online journal with an annual printed volume. Its birth and early survival were assisted by [http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC].
** (old journal) [http://www.journals.elsevier.com/topology-and-its-applications/ ''Topology and Its Applications'']
** (new journal) [http://www.msp.warwick.ac.uk/agt/2007/07/ ''Algebraic and Geometric Topology'']
** Joan Birman's [http://www.arl.org/sparc/core/index.asp?page=f34 statement on some of the background] of the resignations; see also her 2000 [http://www.ams.org/notices/200007/forum-birman.pdf article] in ''Notices of the AMS''.
** Haynes Miller's [http://www-math.mit.edu/~hrm/resignation public letter of resignation].
** SPARC's [http://www.arl.org/sparc/core/index.asp?page=f38 press release] on the launch of ''Algebraic and Geometric Topology''.


* Over a nine month period in 2001, forty editors of ''Machine Learning'' (Kluwer) resigned from the editorial board and published their reasons in a public letter dated October 8, 2001. One of those resigning, Leslie Pack Kaelbling, created the ''Journal of Machine Learning Research'' as a free online alternative with a quarterly print edition published by MIT Press. About two-thirds of the ''Machine Learning'' editors joined her at the new journal.  
* Over a nine month period in 2001, forty editors of ''Machine Learning'' (Kluwer) resigned from the editorial board and published their reasons in a public letter dated October 8, 2001. One of those resigning, Leslie Pack Kaelbling, created the ''Journal of Machine Learning Research'' as a free online alternative with a quarterly print edition published by MIT Press. About two-thirds of the ''Machine Learning'' editors joined her at the new journal.  
** (old journal) [http://www.springer.com/computer/artificial/journal/10994 ''Machine Learning''] (a.k.a. ''Machine Learning Journal'')  
** (old journal) [http://www.springer.com/computer/artificial/journal/10994 ''Machine Learning''] (a.k.a. ''Machine Learning Journal'')  
** (new journal) [http://jmlr.csail.mit.edu/ ''Journal of Machine Learning Research'']  
** (new journal) [http://jmlr.csail.mit.edu/ ''Journal of Machine Learning Research'']  
** [http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/jmlr/statement.html Public letter of resignation]. October 8, 2001.  
** [http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/jmlr/statement.html Public letter of resignation]. October 8, 2001. ([https://perma.cc/ZR9U-P4JD perma.cc link])
** Coverage in [http://lists.topica.com/lists/suber-fos/read/message.html?mid=1605051179&sort=d&start=0 FOSN for 10/12/01]. Further details in [http://lists.topica.com/lists/suber-fos/read/message.html?mid=1605116326&sort=d&start=0 FOSN for 10/19/01]. More [http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/pamphlet/2012/03/06/an-efficient-journal/ details on its success] from March 2012.
** Coverage in [http://lists.topica.com/lists/suber-fos/read/message.html?mid=1605051179&sort=d&start=0 FOSN for 10/12/01]. Further details in [http://lists.topica.com/lists/suber-fos/read/message.html?mid=1605116326&sort=d&start=0 FOSN for 10/19/01]. More [http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/pamphlet/2012/03/06/an-efficient-journal/ details on its success] from March 2012.


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** (new journal) [http://www.jeea.org/ ''Journal of the European Economic Association'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.jeea.org/ ''Journal of the European Economic Association'']  
** [http://www.eeassoc.org/ European Economic Association]  
** [http://www.eeassoc.org/ European Economic Association]  
** The [http://www.eeassoc.org/index.php?page=14 JEEA's page on its history] and decision to break with Elsevier.  
** The [https://web.archive.org/web/20180803201659/https://www.eeassoc.org/index.php?site=JEEA&page=187&trsz=40 JEEA's page on its history] and decision to break with Elsevier.  
** Coverage in the [http://chronicle.com/subscribe/login?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchronicle.com%2Fweekly%2Fv49%2Fi28%2F28a01801.htm March 21, 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education] (story accessible only to CHE subscribers).  
** Coverage in the [https://www.chronicle.com/article/European-Economists-Divorce/7628 March 21, 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education] (story accessible only to CHE subscribers).  


* On July 3, 2003, The entire 40+ person editorial board ''Labor History'' (Taylor and Francis) resigned in protest over the journal's high subscription price and lack of editorial independence. The same editors then launched ''Labor'' with non-profit Duke University Press. ''Labor'' is a partner of [http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC], which assisted in the transition and launch.  
* On July 3, 2003, The entire 40+ person editorial board ''Labor History'' (Taylor and Francis) resigned in protest over the journal's high subscription price and lack of editorial independence. The same editors then launched ''Labor'' with non-profit Duke University Press. ''Labor'' is a partner of [http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC], which assisted in the transition and launch.  
** (old journal) [http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/0023656X.html ''Labor History'']  
** (old journal) [http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/0023656X.html ''Labor History'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.dukeupress.edu/labor/ ''Labor: Studies in Working Class History in the Americas'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.dukeupress.edu/labor/ ''Labor: Studies in Working Class History in the Americas'']  
** [http://www.arl.org/sparc/core/index.asp?page=f75 SPARC press release]  
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20040211034714/http://www.arl.org:80/sparc/core/index.asp?page=f75 SPARC press release]  


* On August 13, 2003, the Society for the Internet in Medicine named the open-access ''Journal of Medical Internet Research'' as its new official journal, replacing the subscription-based ''Medical Informatics & Internet in Medicine''. (This is a decision by a scholarly society, not journal editors, but we include it on the list because of the family resemblance to a true declaration of independence.)  
* On August 13, 2003, the Society for the Internet in Medicine named the open-access ''Journal of Medical Internet Research'' as its new official journal, replacing the subscription-based ''Medical Informatics & Internet in Medicine''. (This is a decision by a scholarly society, not journal editors, but we include it on the list because of the family resemblance to a true declaration of independence.)  
** (old journal) [http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/tf/14639238.html ''Medical Informatics & and Internet in Medicine'']  
** (old journal) [http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/tf/14639238.html ''Medical Informatics & and Internet in Medicine'']  
** (new journal) [http://www.jmir.org/ ''Journal of Medical Internet Research'']
** (new journal) [http://www.jmir.org/ ''Journal of Medical Internet Research'']
** [http://www.internet-in-medicine.org/ Society for the Internet in Medicine] (no longer an active society; see additional information [http://mitel.dimi.uniud.it/sim2/index.php?&MMN_position=1:1 here])
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20031213085319/http://www.internet-in-medicine.org Society for the Internet in Medicine] (no longer an active society; see additional information [https://web.archive.org/web/20111230070842/http://mitel.dimi.uniud.it:80/sim2/index.php? here])


* On September 22, 2003, [http://www.compositio.nl/ ''Compositio Mathematica''] announced that it was leaving Kluwer to be published by the London Mathematical Society and distributed by Cambridge University Press (starting in January 2004). The journal's editor of 20+ years, Gerard van der Geer, explained in a public note that the move was triggered by a long series of unwanted Kluwer price increases. The LMS edition of the journal is not free, but priced one-third below the former price.  
* On September 22, 2003, [http://www.compositio.nl/ ''Compositio Mathematica''] announced that it was leaving Kluwer to be published by the London Mathematical Society and distributed by Cambridge University Press (starting in January 2004). The journal's editor of 20+ years, Gerard van der Geer, explained in a public note that the move was triggered by a long series of unwanted Kluwer price increases. The LMS edition of the journal is not free, but priced one-third below the former price.  
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** (old journal) [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01966774 ''Journal of Algorithms''] (Elsevier)  
** (old journal) [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01966774 ''Journal of Algorithms''] (Elsevier)  
** (new journal) [http://talg.acm.org/ ''Transactions on Algorithms''] (ACM)  
** (new journal) [http://talg.acm.org/ ''Transactions on Algorithms''] (ACM)  
** [http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/joalet.pdf Letter] from Donald E. Knuth to fellow members of the Journal Algorithms editorial board outlining the problem, describing the open-access solution, and asking them to choose among four options.  
** [http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/joalet.pdf Letter] from Donald E. Knuth to fellow members of the Journal of Algorithms editorial board outlining the problem, describing the open-access solution, and asking them to choose among four options.  
** [http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~hal/s.pdf Public statement] by the former ''Journal of Algorithms'' editors explaining their resignation. Slated to appear in the March 2004 issue of [http://www.sigact.org/pubs.php ''SIGACT News''].  
** [http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~hal/s.pdf Public statement] by the former ''Journal of Algorithms'' editors explaining their resignation. Slated to appear in the March 2004 issue of [http://www.sigact.org/pubs.php ''SIGACT News''].  
** Hal Gabow has the dates and some other details on his [http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~hal/Home.html home page].  
** Hal Gabow has the dates and some other details on his [https://web.archive.org/web/20180805131811/http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~hal/moreTalg.html home page].  
** George Porter discusses some of the aftermath in a [http://stlq.info/archives/001423.html May 14, 2004 STLQ blog posting].
** George Porter discusses some of the aftermath in a [https://web.archive.org/web/20040605214626/http://stlq.info/archives/001423.html May 14, 2004 STLQ blog posting].


==2004==
==2004==
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* On January 27, 2004, Editor in Chief Dominique Boullier and the entire editorial board of ''Les cahiers du numérique'' resigned from the journal and released an open letter explaining why. They point to CduN's high price and limited online access policy which "contradict our objectives as researchers".  
* On January 27, 2004, Editor in Chief Dominique Boullier and the entire editorial board of ''Les cahiers du numérique'' resigned from the journal and released an open letter explaining why. They point to CduN's high price and limited online access policy which "contradict our objectives as researchers".  
** (old journal) [http://lcn.e-revues.com/acceuil.jsp ''Les cahiers du numérique'']  
** (old journal) [http://lcn.e-revues.com/acceuil.jsp ''Les cahiers du numérique'']  
** The editors' [http://listes.cru.fr/sympa/arc/biblio-fr/2004-01/msg00222.html open letter] announcing and explaining their resignation, January 27, 2004.
** The editors' [https://web.archive.org/web/20170712130232/https://listes.cru.fr/sympa/arc/biblio-fr/2004-01/msg00222.html open letter] announcing and explaining their resignation, January 27, 2004.


==2005==
==2005==
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==2006==
==2006==


* On February 20, 2006, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) dismissed the journal's editor-in-chief John Hoey and editor Anne Marie Todkill. In response, there was "a mass exodus of journal staff, including most of the editorial board." See details provided [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_07_09_fosblogarchive.html#115297666257809565 here].
* On February 20, 2006, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) dismissed the journal's editor-in-chief John Hoey and editor Anne Marie Todkill. In response, there was "a mass exodus of journal staff, including most of the editorial board." See [https://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006/07/former-cmaj-editors-launching-new-oa.html these details].
** (old journal) [http://www.cmaj.ca/ ''Canadian Medical Association Journal'']
** (old journal) [http://www.cmaj.ca/ ''Canadian Medical Association Journal'']
** (new journal) [http://www.openmedicine.ca/index.php/om/index ''Open Medicine'']
** (new journal) [http://www.openmedicine.ca/index.php/om/index ''Open Medicine'']
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** (old journal) [http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/261/description#description ''Topology'']
** (old journal) [http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/261/description#description ''Topology'']
** (new journal) [http://jtopol.oxfordjournals.org/ ''Journal of Topology'']
** (new journal) [http://jtopol.oxfordjournals.org/ ''Journal of Topology'']
** [http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind0608&L=pamnet&P=503256&E=2&B=--0__=0ABBFB54DFDA504D8f9e8a93df938690918c0ABBFB54DFDA504D&N=topology_letter.pdf&T=application/pdf Letter] from the editorial board announcing the resignations.
** [http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind0608&L=pamnet&P=503256&E=2&B=--0__=0ABBFB54DFDA504D8f9e8a93df938690918c0ABBFB54DFDA504D&N=topology_letter.pdf&T=application/pdf Letter] from the editorial board announcing the resignations, August 10, 2006. ([http://pages.uoregon.edu/dps/topeditorslet.pdf Another copy.])
** [http://www.lms.ac.uk/sites/default/files/About_Us/news/2007-1%20Topology%20journal%20(17%20January).pdf Announcement] about the launch of the new journal (includes a statement on pricing policy).
** [http://pages.uoregon.edu/dps/elsevier.pdf Response from Elsevier], October 24, 2006.
** Find news about the resignation in the following: [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=442 August 10, 2006 blog post by Peter Woit], [http://www.nysun.com/arts/rebellion-erupts-over-journals-of-academia/42317/ October 26, 2006 article in the New York Sun], [http://acrlog.org/2006/10/27/topology-resignations/ October 27, 2006 ACRLog post], [http://chronicle.com/article/Editorial-Board-of-Elsevier/5784/ November 10, 2006 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education] (accessible only to subscribers),  [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v445/n7126/full/445351a.html January 25, 2007 article in Nature] (accessible only to subscribers), and [http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/~tedb/Journals/topologystory.pdf May 2007 issue of the ''Notices of the AMS''].
*** Also see [http://pages.uoregon.edu/dps/journals.php two replies to Elsevier] from Dev Sinha, November 2006.
** [http://www.lms.ac.uk/sites/default/files/About_Us/news/2007-1%20Topology%20journal%20(17%20January).pdf Announcement] of the launch of the new journal (includes a statement on pricing policy), January 17, 2007.
** Find news about the resignation in the following: [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=442 August 10, 2006 blog post by Peter Woit], [http://www.nysun.com/arts/rebellion-erupts-over-journals-of-academia/42317/ October 26, 2006 article in the New York Sun], [http://acrlog.org/2006/10/27/topology-resignations/ October 27, 2006 ACRLog post], [http://chronicle.com/article/Editorial-Board-of-Elsevier/5784/ November 10, 2006 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education] (accessible only to subscribers),  [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v445/n7126/full/445351a.html January 25, 2007 article in Nature], and [http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/~tedb/Journals/topologystory.pdf May 2007 issue of the ''Notices of the AMS''].
** Coverage in [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_10_22_fosblogarchive.html#116186587572734315 OAN for October 26, 2006]. Further details noted in [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006/10/more-on-declaration-of-independence-at.html OAN for October 27, 2006].
** Coverage in [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_10_22_fosblogarchive.html#116186587572734315 OAN for October 26, 2006]. Further details noted in [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006/10/more-on-declaration-of-independence-at.html OAN for October 27, 2006].


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* In August 2007, the editorial board of ''K-Theory'' resigned, citing Springer's exorbitant pricing structures and slow production times as the reasons for doing so. Unlike other similar declarations by editorial boards, this split was particularly contentious. Anthony Bak, one of the editors who resigned, withheld articles for publication in ''K-Theory'' for over a year, which he then offered publication in the newly created ''Journal of K-Theory'' (see linked texts below for additional information).
* In August 2007, the editorial board of ''K-Theory'' resigned, citing Springer's exorbitant pricing structures and slow production times as the reasons for doing so. Unlike other similar declarations by editorial boards, this split was particularly contentious. Anthony Bak, one of the editors who resigned, withheld articles for publication in ''K-Theory'' for over a year, which he then offered publication in the newly created ''Journal of K-Theory'' (see linked texts below for additional information).
** (old journal) [http://www.springer.com/mathematics/algebra/journal/10977 ''K-Theory'']
** (old journal) [https://web.archive.org/web/20121230134029/http://www.springer.com:80/mathematics/algebra/journal/10977? ''K-Theory''] (Springer) (now defunct)
** (new journal) [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=KAG Journal of ''K-Theory'']
** (new journal) [https://web.archive.org/web/20170703182029/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-k-theory Journal of ''K-Theory''] (Cambridge University Press) (now defunct)
** Editorial Board's [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=581 statement] on the reason for resignation, posted on Peter Woit's blog.
** Editorial Board's [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=581 statement] of the reason for their resignation, posted on Peter Woit's blog.
** [http://chronicle.com/article/Editor-s-Calculation-in/39439 ''Chronicle of Higher Education''] article on the controversy surrounding the establishment of the ''Journal of K-Theory''.
** [http://chronicle.com/article/Editor-s-Calculation-in/39439 ''Chronicle of Higher Education''] article on the controversy surrounding the establishment of the ''Journal of K-Theory''.
** ''K-Theory'''s Wolfgang Lueck and Andrew Ranicki released a [http://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~aar/editor/state.txt statement] following Anthony Bak's resignation and the ensuing conflict over missing papers, and Anthony Bak [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=585 responded to these concerns], which is detailed in Peter Woit's blog.
** ''K-Theory'''s Wolfgang Lueck and Andrew Ranicki released a [http://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~aar/editor/state.txt statement] following Anthony Bak's resignation and the ensuing conflict over missing papers, and Anthony Bak [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=585 responded to these concerns], which is detailed in Peter Woit's blog.
** Coverage in [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2007_08_05_fosblogarchive.html#5923106558902597952 OAN from August 10, 2007]. Coverage in [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=585 Not Even Wrong for August 17, 2007]. Coverage in [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v448/n7156/full/448846b.html Nature from August 23, 2007].
** Coverage in [http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2007_08_05_fosblogarchive.html#5923106558902597952 OAN from August 10, 2007]. Coverage in [http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=585 Not Even Wrong for August 17, 2007]. Coverage in [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v448/n7156/full/448846b.html Nature from August 23, 2007].
** See the entry for [[#2014|2014]] below. The ''Journal of K-Theory'' itself was the subject to a later declaration of independence. This is the first time that a journal set up a declaration of independence was taken down by a later declaration of independence.


==2008==
==2008==
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* On October 18, 2012 (effective December 1, 2012), 25 members of the editorial board resigned from the journal, ''Organization & Environment''.
* On October 18, 2012 (effective December 1, 2012), 25 members of the editorial board resigned from the journal, ''Organization & Environment''.
** (old journal) [http://oae.sagepub.com/ ''Organization & Environment''] (from Sage Publications)
** (old journal) [http://oae.sagepub.com/ ''Organization & Environment''] (from Sage Publications)
** See the editors' [http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/10/18/editors-resign-from-leading-environment-journal/ statement] of the reasons for their resignation, [http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/11/01/environmental-journal-editors-reply-to-publisher/ Sage's response] to the editors' statement (quoted in a news story in ''Inside Higher Ed''), and the editors' [http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/11/01/environmental-journal-editors-reply-to-publisher/ response] to Sage's response.
** See the editors' [http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/10/18/editors-resign-from-leading-environment-journal/ statement] of the reasons for their resignation, [http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/11/01/environmental-journal-editors-reply-to-publisher/ Sage's response] to the editors' statement (quoted in a [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/29/editorial-board-quits-protest-changes-environmental-journal news story] in ''Inside Higher Ed''), and the editors' [http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/11/01/environmental-journal-editors-reply-to-publisher/ response] to Sage's response.
** Coverage in [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/29/editorial-board-quits-protest-changes-environmental-journal ''Inside Higher Ed''] and [http://monthlyreview.org/2012/10/01/mr-064-05-2012-09 ''Monthly Review''].
** Coverage in [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/29/editorial-board-quits-protest-changes-environmental-journal ''Inside Higher Ed''] and [http://monthlyreview.org/2012/10/01/mr-064-05-2012-09 ''Monthly Review''].


Line 174: Line 178:
** The board's [http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2013/03/23/so-im-editing-this-journal-issue-and/ statement] of the reasons for their resignation, quoted in a blog post by Brian Mathews.
** The board's [http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2013/03/23/so-im-editing-this-journal-issue-and/ statement] of the reasons for their resignation, quoted in a blog post by Brian Mathews.
** Coverage in [https://plus.google.com/+PeterSuber/posts/jCp3NaZGLy2 Peter Suber's blog] and the [http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/journals-editorial-board-resigns-in-protest-of-publishers-policy-toward-authors/43149 ''Chronicle of Higher Education''].
** Coverage in [https://plus.google.com/+PeterSuber/posts/jCp3NaZGLy2 Peter Suber's blog] and the [http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/journals-editorial-board-resigns-in-protest-of-publishers-policy-toward-authors/43149 ''Chronicle of Higher Education''].
==2014==
* On September 15, 2014, 16 of the 19 editors of the ''Journal of K-Theory'' went on strike, demanding that the owner and chief editor, Anthony Bak, keep his promise and hand over the profits of the journal, to be used to fund scientific activities such as conferences. He refused, and they resigned, effective at end of 2014. The resigning editors formed a new journal, ''Annals of K-Theory'', and Cambridge University Press stopped publishing the ''Journal of K-Theory''. ''Annals of K-Theory'' is owned by the [http://www.ktheoryfoundation.org/ K-Theory Foundation], a non-profit charitable organization, and is published by [https://msp.org/ Mathematical Sciences Publishers], also a non-profit. ''Annals'' is not open access.
** (old journal) [https://web.archive.org/web/20170703182029/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-k-theory Journal of K-Theory] (Cambridge University Press)
** (new journal) [https://msp.org/akt/about/journal/about.html Annals of K-Theory] (K-Theory Foundation and Mathematical Sciences Publishers)
** Also see the [http://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~aar/editor/JKT_final.pdf resignation letter] of the 16 editors, November 5, 2014.
** See the entry for [[#2007|2007]] above. The ''Journal of K-Theory'' itself was established in the wake of a declaration of independence. This is the first time that a journal set up by a declaration of independence was taken down by a later declaration of independence.


==2015==
==2015==
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* On October 27, 2015, the entire editorial board of ''Lingua'' resigned.
* On October 27, 2015, the entire editorial board of ''Lingua'' resigned.
** (old journal) [http://www.journals.elsevier.com/lingua/ ''Lingua''] (from Elsevier)
** (old journal) [http://www.journals.elsevier.com/lingua/ ''Lingua''] (from Elsevier)
** (new journal) ''Glossa'' (forthcoming from Ubiquity Press)
** (new journal) [http://www.glossa-journal.org/ ''Glossa''] (from [http://www.ubiquitypress.com/ Ubiquity Press], and five years later, the [https://www.openlibhums.org/ Open Library of Humanities])
** The editors' October 7, 2015, [http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/files/2015/11/Letter-renegotiation-Lingua-OA.pdf attempt to negotiate with Elsevier] prior to resigning.
** The editors' October 7, 2015, [http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/files/2015/11/Letter-renegotiation-Lingua-OA.pdf attempt to negotiate with Elsevier] prior to resigning.
** [https://www.facebook.com/johan.rooryck/posts/779304042197842?fref=nf Announcement on Facebook], October 27, 2015.
** [https://www.facebook.com/johan.rooryck/posts/779304042197842?fref=nf Announcement on Facebook], October 27, 2015.
** Also see the [http://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-mass-resignations-at-lingua/ interview with Anne-Michelle Tessier] (November 24, 15), an associate editor of ''Lingua'', on the decision of the editors to resign.
*** Coverage in [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/02/editors-and-editorial-board-quit-top-linguistics-journal-protest-subscription-fees ''Inside Higher Ed''], [http://arstechnica.co.uk/science/2015/11/entire-editorial-staff-of-elsevier-journal-lingua-resigns-over-high-price-lack-of-open-access/ ''Ars Technica''], [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/lingua-board-walks-over-open-access-elsevier-pricing/story-e6frgcjx-1227593713780 ''The Australian''], [http://fortune.com/2015/11/02/elsevier-mutiny/ ''Fortune''], [http://chronicle.com/article/What-a-Mass-Exodus-at-a/234066 ''Chronicle of Higher Education''], and [http://www.wired.com/2015/11/editors-of-the-journal-lingua-protest-quit-in-battle-for-open-access/ ''Wired''].
*** Coverage in [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/02/editors-and-editorial-board-quit-top-linguistics-journal-protest-subscription-fees ''Inside Higher Ed''], [http://arstechnica.co.uk/science/2015/11/entire-editorial-staff-of-elsevier-journal-lingua-resigns-over-high-price-lack-of-open-access/ ''Ars Technica''], [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/lingua-board-walks-over-open-access-elsevier-pricing/story-e6frgcjx-1227593713780 ''The Australian''], [http://fortune.com/2015/11/02/elsevier-mutiny/ ''Fortune''], [http://chronicle.com/article/What-a-Mass-Exodus-at-a/234066 ''Chronicle of Higher Education''], and [http://www.wired.com/2015/11/editors-of-the-journal-lingua-protest-quit-in-battle-for-open-access/ ''Wired''].
*** [http://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/News/aplu-statement-on-resignation-of-linguas-editors--editorial-board-members-in-protest-of-elseviers-pricing-policies Statement of support for the editors by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities] (APLU), and coverage [https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/11/03/public-universities-back-protest-elsevier-pricing by ''Inside Higher Ed''].
*** [http://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/News/aplu-statement-on-resignation-of-linguas-editors--editorial-board-members-in-protest-of-elseviers-pricing-policies Statement of support for the editors by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities] (APLU), and coverage [https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/11/03/public-universities-back-protest-elsevier-pricing by ''Inside Higher Ed''].
*** [http://www.arl.org/news/arl-news/3789-arl-higher-education-groups-support-lingua-editors-open-access Statement of support by ARL, AASCU, ACE, CARL, COAR, EDUCAUSE, and SPARC], and coverage [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/13/more-higher-ed-library-groups-speak-out-support-lingua-editors by Inside Higher Ed].
** [https://www.elsevier.com/connect/addressing-the-resignation-of-the-lingua-editorial-board Statement by Elsevier], November 4, 2015.
** [https://www.elsevier.com/connect/addressing-the-resignation-of-the-lingua-editorial-board Statement by Elsevier], November 4, 2015.
*** Also see responses [https://www.martineve.com/2015/11/05/clarifying-a-few-facts-for-elsevier-and-their-response-to-lingua/ by Martin Paul Eve] and [http://svpow.com/2015/11/05/the-editor-had-requested-a-price-of-400-euros-an-apc-that-is-not-sustainable/ Mike Taylor].
*** Also see responses [https://www.martineve.com/2015/11/05/clarifying-a-few-facts-for-elsevier-and-their-response-to-lingua/ by Martin Paul Eve], [http://svpow.com/2015/11/05/the-editor-had-requested-a-price-of-400-euros-an-apc-that-is-not-sustainable/ Mike Taylor], and [http://beerbrarian.blogspot.com/2015/11/parsing-elsevier-lingua-and-open-access.html Jacob Berg].
** Follow-up coverage by [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/06/elseviers-defense-its-actions-inspires-more-anger-over-its-journal-policies Inside Higher Ed] and [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=22162 Language Log]
** Follow-up analysis [http://cameronneylon.net/blog/polecon-of-oa-publishing-what-are-the-assets-of-a-journal/ by Cameron Neylon]
 
== 2016 ==
* In 2016, ''Zoological Studies'' left Springer to join the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
** (Old journal) [https://link.springer.com/journal/40555 ''Zoological Studies''], from Springer
** (New journal) [http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/ ''Zoological Studies''], from the [http://biodiv.sinica.edu.tw/en/ Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica]
 
== 2017 ==
 
* May 2017 : The journal ''Sociologie du travail'' has terminated the contract it has had with Elsevier since 1999 and is moving to a fully digital form of Open Access on OpenEdition. [http://oep.hypotheses.org/1859 Press release]. Website : [http://sdt.revues.org/ http://sdt.revues.org/]
* On July 27, 2017 the four editors-in-chief and nearly all the members of the editorial board of the ''Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20180719113938/http://www.mathoa.org/press/ announced] that they would resign as of December 31, 2017, in order to launch a new OA journal to be called ''Algebraic Combinatorics'' and operated under the [https://fairoa.org/ Fair Open Access Principles].
<!-- another version of the announcement:
https://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/jaco-flips-to-fair-open-access.pdf  -->
** (old journal) [https://link.springer.com/journal/10801 ''Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics''] (from Springer)
** (new journal) [http://algebraic-combinatorics.org/ ''Algebraic Combinatorics''] (from [http://www.mathoa.org/ MathOA])
 
== 2018 ==
 
* November 2018 (''ongoing, to be confirmed''): Wiley forces the journal ''Diversity and Distributions'' to switch to a 2200 $ APC and prevents the publication of a letter approved by Editor-in-chief, Janet Franklin. Franklin and academic editors resign ''en masse''.
** (old journal) [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14724642 Diversity and Distributions] (from Wiley)
** (new journal) TBD
** See the [https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12885 letter from the editors], January 9, 2019 ([https://perma.cc/QD7R-YKU2 perma.cc link]). More precisely, the letter is from "a large group of scientists [in the journal's field], including 40 of the [journal's] associate editors."
** See the [https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12888 letter from Wiley], January 9, 2019 ([https://perma.cc/YZR5-JYT4 perma.cc link]).
** See Twitter coverage, [https://twitter.com/ecoinvasions/status/1034122930807033857 here] and [https://twitter.com/ZurellLab/status/1066979413928148993 here].
 
== 2019 ==
 
* January 14, 2019: Editors of Elsevier's ''Journal of Informetrics'' resigned ''en masse'' and launched the OA alternative, ''Quantitative Science Studies'' with MIT Press.
** (old journal) [https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-informetrics Journal of Informetrics] (from Elsevier)
** (new journal) [https://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/qss Quantitative Science Studies] (from MIT Press; CC-BY, 6-800 $ APC)
** See the [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5683714-Letter-to-JOI-Board-09Oct18-NN.html letter from Elsevier] ([https://perma.cc/3E95-CSC4 perma.cc link]) to the editors, attempting to answer their concerns (October 8, 2018). Also see [https://www.elsevier.com/connect/about-the-resignation-of-the-journal-of-informetrics-editorial-board Elsevier's public response] ([https://perma.cc/Z5WX-3B2Q perma.cc link]) to the resignations (January 15, 2019).
** See the [http://issi-society.org/media/1380/resignation_final.pdf letter of resignation] ([https://perma.cc/3AKF-SM3P perma.cc link]) from the editors (January 10, 2019).
** See the [http://issi-society.org/blog/posts/2019/january/the-international-society-for-scientometrics-and-informetrics-ends-support-for-journal-of-informetrics-launches-new-open-access-journal-quantitative-science-studies/ announcement] ([https://perma.cc/JD7A-NSEN perma.cc link]) from the non-profit [http://issi-society.org/ International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics] (ISSI), which formerly supported the ''Journal of Informetrics'' and now launches (and owns) ''Quantitative Science Studies'' (January 14, 2019).
** See the [https://mitpress.mit.edu/press-news/qss-launch announcement] ([https://perma.cc/VWK4-2DED perma.cc link]) from MIT Press (January 14, 2019), and the [http://news.mit.edu/2019/new-quantitative-science-studies-journal-mit-press-0118 announcement] ([https://perma.cc/25NQ-CW9G perma.cc link]) from MIT itself (January 18, 2019).
** See Ludo Waltman et al., [https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/full/10.1162/qss_e_00025 Opening science: The rebirth of a scholarly journal], ''Quantitative Science Studies'', February 20, 2020 ([https://perma.cc/TPH3-URQN perma.cc link]).
 
* September 2019: Editors of ''Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte'' announce their mass resignation, to take effect at the end of the year, and intention to launch an open-access, successor journal.
** (old journal) [https://www.deutscherkunstverlag.de/buch/zeitschriften/zeitschrift-fuer-kunstgeschichte.html Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte] (from [https://www.deutscherkunstverlag.de/aktuelles.html Deutscher Kunstverlag])
** (new journal) [https://21-inquiries.eu/ 21: Inquiries into Art, History, and the Visual]
** See the [https://21-inquiries.eu/en/21-inquiries/ announcement in English] ([https://perma.cc/SAP6-4ZV3 perma.cc link]) by Beate Fricke, Ursula Frohne, Johannes Grave and Michael F. Zimmermann, as well as the cofounders of the new journal, Karen Lang and Avinoam Shalem.
** See the [https://www.horizons-mag.ch/2019/12/05/unbridgeable-differences-at-an-art-journal/ coverage by Michael Baumann] ([https://perma.cc/ATC3-RXUB perma.cc link]), December 5, 2019.
 
== 2020 ==
 
* January 31, 2020, the editorial board and advisory board of the ''European Law Journal'' resigned ''en masse'' to launch a new journal in the same niche under a different title.
** (old journal) [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14680386 European Law Journal] (from Wiley)
** (new journal) [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-law-open European Law Open] published with Cambridge University Press. An APC-OA fully open access journal with "a fee waiver system in place for unfunded authors".
** See the [https://verfassungsblog.de/what-a-journal-makes-as-we-say-goodbye-to-the-european-law-journal/ announcement] by the editorial and advisory boards, January 31, 2020 ([https://perma.cc/6EXX-Q6VJ perma.cc link]). ([https://europeanlawblog.eu/2020/02/04/what-a-journal-makes-as-we-say-goodbye-to-the-european-law-journal/ Another copy].)
 
* August 25, 2020, the editorial board of the ''Journal of Field Robotics'' resigned in order to preserve its academic independence and relaunch an equivalent journal without paywalls.
** (old journal) [https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Journal+of+Field+Robotics-p-9780471541288 Journal of Field Robotics] (from Wiley) ([https://perma.cc/BS32-KZE5 perma.cc link])
** (new journal) [watch this space]
** See the [http://journalfieldrobotics.org/JFR/DearColleague_Letter.html open letter] from the resigning members of the editorial board ([https://perma.cc/QD73-T5ZS perma.cc link]). "In the near future we will announce a new forum for research in Field Robotics that will maintain the academic integrity of our editorial process while also ensuring open dissemination of your research."
 
* December 31, 2020, most members of the editorial board of ''Journal of Combinatorial Theory A'' resigned ''en masse'' to launch a new OA journal on the same topic.
** (old journal) Journal of Combinatorial Theory A (from Elsevier)
** (new journal) [https://escholarship.org/uc/combinatorial_theory/ Combinatorial Theory] (from the University of California eScholarship Publishing program)
** See [https://twitter.com/wtgowers/status/1305253478047068160 Tim Gowers' announcement on Twitter], September 13, 2020, and the comments it triggered.
** See the [http://fpsac.org/2020/09/13/CombinatorialTheoryJournal/ blog post] by Victor Reiner, interim editor of ''Combinatorial Theory'', September 13, 2020 ([https://perma.cc/GH42-PGTX  perma.cc link]).
** ''Combinatorial Theory'' [https://osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/2021/12/combinatorial-theory-publishes-first-issue/ published its first issue] December 15, 2021. The same announcement describes how the journal is funded.
 
== 2023 ==
 
* April 2023, all the 40+ editors of ''NeuroImage'' resigned in order to protest the journal's high APC and launch a new OA journal.
** (old journal) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neuroimage NeuroImage] (from Elsevier)
** (new journal) [https://imaging-neuroscience.org/ Imaging Neuroscience] (from MIT Press)
** See the [https://imaging-neuroscience.org/Announcement.pdf open letter] from the resigning editors ([https://perma.cc/JJJ7-B3TB perma.cc link]). "Elsevier has set the NeuroImage APC (article processing charge) at $3,450 USD. Compared against this, estimates ofdirect article costs at relevant journals are generally around $1,000 or lower. Scientists and funders increasingly feel that it is wrong for publishers to make such high profits, particularly given that the publishers do not fund the original science, or the writing of articles, or payments to reviewers, and pay minimal editorial stipends. As a result, authors and reviewers are increasingly refusing to work with high-profit journals."
 
* April 2023, Wiley fired the founding editor of the ''Journal of Political Philosophy'', which led many other editors to resign in protest. In early 2024 they announced that they had launched a new OA journal in the same field.
** (old journal) [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679760 Journal of Political Philosophy] (from Wiley)
** (new journal) [https://politicalphilosophyjournal.org/ Political Philosophy] (from the Open Library of Humanities)
** See [https://dailynous.com/2023/04/27/wiley-removes-goodin-as-editor-of-the-journal-of-political-philosophy/ several accounts] (April and May 2023) of the firing of the founding editor, the resulting protests, and the editors' grievances against Wiley ([https://perma.cc/U5RS-GQSA perma.cc link]).
** See the [https://www.openlibhums.org/news/668/ announcement] of the new journal, January 11, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/XKE8-YZZU perma.cc link]).
 
* July 5, 2023, all 47 editors of ''Critical Public Health'' resigned to protest the journal's high APC and the editorial board's limited ability to set the journal's direction.
** (old journal) [https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ccph20 Critical Public Health] (from Taylor & Francis)
** (new journal) TBA. Follow developments at the [https://cphn.net/ Critical Public Health Network].
** See the public [https://cphn.net/2023/07/05/resignation-letter/ resignation letter] (July 5, 2023, [https://perma.cc/V96F-9LKQ perma.cc link]), the [https://cphn.net/breaking-news/ resignation announcement] ([https://perma.cc/9Z9T-XFFX perma.cc link]), and the [https://cphn.net/2023/07/05/critical-public-health-editorial-board-resignation-faqs/ resignation FAQ] ([https://perma.cc/TSC9-Q3Y2 perma.cc link]).
 
* November 18, 2023, the editor-in-chief and three-fourths of the editors resigned from the ''Journal of International Students'' to protest the decision by the founding editor, without consulting other editors, to transfer the journal to an unnamed publisher and introduce article processing charges (APCs). In May 2024, the editors who resigned launched a new diamond OA journal in the same niche, ''Critical Internationalization Studies Review''.
** (old journal) [https://www.ojed.org/jis/index Journal of International Students]
** (new journal) [https://scholarship.shu.edu/cisr/ Critical Internationalization Studies Review]
** See the [https://web.archive.org/web/20231124105733/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chrisrglass_i-sent-this-message-to-the-jis-editorial-activity-7131307865960542209-H4IZ resignation letter] by the editor-in-chief, Chris Glass, on LinkedIn, November 18, 2023.
** See [http://web.archive.org/web/20231201042344/jintstudents.com/index.php/jis/announcement/view/1 Statement on the Journal of International Students Updates], ''Journal of International Students'', November 27, 2023.
** See [https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-11-29 Mass resignations rock publication on international students], ''Chronicle of Higher Education'', November 29, 2023.
** See [https://doi.org/10.70531/2832-3211.1033 The Future of Open Access Publishing in International Higher Education], ''Critical Internationalization Studies Review'', May 29, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/5S36-E87N?type=image perma.cc link]).
<!-- https://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=cisr -->
 
== 2024 ==
 
* January 4, 2024, all 10 members of the editorial board of ''Theory and Society'' (from Springer Nature) resigned and announced plans to launch a new OA journal in its place.
** (old journal) [https://link.springer.com/journal/11186 Theory and Society] (from Springer Nature)
** (new journal) Theory and Social Inquiry, forthcoming from the Open Library of Humanities.
** See the [https://scatter.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/tsi-statement.pdf letter of resignation], May 9, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/3YTQ-SNPM perma.cc link]). [https://scatter.wordpress.com/2024/05/13/introducing-theory-and-social-inquiry/ Another copy].
** See the [https://www.openlibhums.org/news/702/ announcement] of Theory and Social Inquiry from the Open Library of Humanities, May 14, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/MY3G-CZX2 perma.cc link]).
** See the [https://retractionwatch.com/2024/01/22/sociology-journals-entire-editorial-board-resigns-after-springer-nature-appointed-new-leadership/ coverage in Retraction Watch], January 22, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/WL5X-346L perma.cc link]).
 
* May 22, 2024 all 38 editors of ''Philosophy and Public Affairs'' resigned ''en masse'' to launch a new open-access journal on the same topics.
** (old journal) [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/10884963/homepage/editorialboard.html Philosophy and Public Affairs] (from Wiley)
** (new journal) ''Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs'', from the Open Library of Humanities. (Website forthcoming in September 2024.)
** See the unanimous [https://dailynous.com/2024/05/22/editors-at-philosophy-will-launch-new-oa-journal/ public statement] (also [https://dailynous.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/philosophy-public-affairs-public-letter-of-resignation.pdf here]) from the editors explaining their resignation from the Wiley journal and plans for a new no-APC open-access journal, May 22, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/7QB7-CZJG Perma.cc link]). "We take this step because we believe that scholarly journals — including our own — serve important purposes, and that these purposes are not well-served by commercial publishing. For three decades now, academic journals have suffered from their ownership by for-profit publishers, who have exploited their monopoly position to sharply raise prices, unduly burdening subscribing libraries and shutting out other institutions and individuals from access to research. The recent rise of the author-funded “open access” model has only reinforced academic inequality, since scholars with access to fewer resources are unable to pay the fees that make their work freely accessible; it has also incentivized commercial publishers to try to publish as many articles as possible and so to pressure rigorous journals to weaken or abandon their quality controls."
** See the separate [https://dailynous.com/2024/06/11/stilz-resigns-from-ppa-shares-instructions-to-authors/ resignation statement] of Anna Stilz, the ''Philosophy and Public Affairs'' editor-in-chief, June 11, 2024 ([https://perma.cc/7FNP-9KJA perma.cc link]).
** See the announcement of the new journal's [https://dailynous.com/2024/08/13/journal-created-from-the-ashes-of-ppa-gets-name-editor-in-chief/ title and editorial board], August 13, 2024.

Latest revision as of 12:46, 21 October 2024

This list is part of the Open Access Directory.

  • By a journal declaration of independence, we mean the resignation of editors from a journal in order to launch a comparable journal with a friendlier publisher or less-restrictive access policies. The kinds we are collecting for this list usually have two stages. First, an editor or group of editors resigns from a journal in order to protest its high subscription price or audience-limiting access rules. This is usually accompanied by a public statement explaining "the causes which impel them to the separation" (to quote Thomas Jefferson). Second, some of the resigning editors create a new free or affordable alternative journal to compete with the first and to embody their vision of wide access.
    • We include a few cases in which editors resigned en masse from a journal to protest restrictive access policies, but have not (or not yet) launched a new, less-restrictive journal.
  • We borrow the term "declaration of independence" for this phenomenon from SPARC's 2001 project to assist journals in Declaring Independence (revived in 2018). Of course, SPARC borrowed the term from the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
  • This list started as a non-wiki list maintained by Peter Suber, who moved it to OAD in April 2008.
  • For data how the new journals fare, after editors resign from an older journal in order to launch the new one, see Mark Wilson, What happens to journals that break away? October 8, 2016. (Preview: Most new journals do better than the old journals.)
  • Related lists in OAD: Journals that converted from TA to OA.
  • For real-time updates, some not yet reflected here, follow the oa.declarations_of_independence tag of the Open Access Tracking Project.
  • Wikidata identifier for this page: Q56229222.
  • Also see the Mass Resignations List from Retraction Watch.
  • Chronological order.

1989

  • In June 1989, Editor Eddy van der Maarel and most of his editorial board resigned from Vegetatio (W. Junk, then Nijhoff, then Kluwer) in order to launch the Journal of Vegetation Science (Opulus Press and the International Association for Vegetation Science).

1996

  • In December 1996, Shu-Kun Lin resigned as editor of Molecules, then published by Springer-Verlag, and relaunched the journal with Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI). Springer sued to prevent Shu-Kun Lin from using the same name for the MDPI journal but eventually dropped its suit.

1998

1999

2000

  • In January 2000 (to take effect in July 2000), Henry Hagedorn resigned as editor of the Archives of Insect Biochemistry & Physiology (Wiley-Liss) in order to form the Journal of Insect Science (originally, University of Arizona Library, now University of Wisconsin Library). JIS is a free online journal with no print edition. It is now supported entirely by the University of Wisconsin Memorial Library and charges no author-side fees. Its birth and early survival were assisted by SPARC.

2001

2003

  • On September 22, 2003, Compositio Mathematica announced that it was leaving Kluwer to be published by the London Mathematical Society and distributed by Cambridge University Press (starting in January 2004). The journal's editor of 20+ years, Gerard van der Geer, explained in a public note that the move was triggered by a long series of unwanted Kluwer price increases. The LMS edition of the journal is not free, but priced one-third below the former price.
  • On December 31, 2003, the entire editorial board of the Journal of Algorithms resigned in order to protest the high price charged by the publisher (Elsevier). On January 21, 2004, the same board then launched a new journal, Transactions on Algorithms, published by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

2004

  • On January 27, 2004, Editor in Chief Dominique Boullier and the entire editorial board of Les cahiers du numérique resigned from the journal and released an open letter explaining why. They point to CduN's high price and limited online access policy which "contradict our objectives as researchers".

2005

  • In 2005, Editors Charles and Marie-Louise Steele, George Herrmann, and "21 of the 23 members of the IJSS board of editors" resigned from the International Journal of Solids and Structures (IJSS) because "there was no indication that the commercial publishers were reversing the pressure for increased profits out of the limited institutional resources." Details on the "Background of JoMMS" may be found in a comment from Charles Steele to a June 2006 iMechanica article.

2006

  • On February 20, 2006, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) dismissed the journal's editor-in-chief John Hoey and editor Anne Marie Todkill. In response, there was "a mass exodus of journal staff, including most of the editorial board." See these details.

2007

  • In June 2007, the Association for Symbolic Logic (ASL), having been dissatisfied with "unsatisfactory relations" with Springer, launched a "successor" journal to the Journal of Philosophical Logic with Cambridge University Press. For details on the Review of Symbolic Logic, see the ASL president Penelope Maddy's letter to the association's members below.
  • In August 2007, the editorial board of K-Theory resigned, citing Springer's exorbitant pricing structures and slow production times as the reasons for doing so. Unlike other similar declarations by editorial boards, this split was particularly contentious. Anthony Bak, one of the editors who resigned, withheld articles for publication in K-Theory for over a year, which he then offered publication in the newly created Journal of K-Theory (see linked texts below for additional information).

2008

2012

2013

2014

  • On September 15, 2014, 16 of the 19 editors of the Journal of K-Theory went on strike, demanding that the owner and chief editor, Anthony Bak, keep his promise and hand over the profits of the journal, to be used to fund scientific activities such as conferences. He refused, and they resigned, effective at end of 2014. The resigning editors formed a new journal, Annals of K-Theory, and Cambridge University Press stopped publishing the Journal of K-Theory. Annals of K-Theory is owned by the K-Theory Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization, and is published by Mathematical Sciences Publishers, also a non-profit. Annals is not open access.
    • (old journal) Journal of K-Theory (Cambridge University Press)
    • (new journal) Annals of K-Theory (K-Theory Foundation and Mathematical Sciences Publishers)
    • Also see the resignation letter of the 16 editors, November 5, 2014.
    • See the entry for 2007 above. The Journal of K-Theory itself was established in the wake of a declaration of independence. This is the first time that a journal set up by a declaration of independence was taken down by a later declaration of independence.

2015

2016

2017

2018

  • November 2018 (ongoing, to be confirmed): Wiley forces the journal Diversity and Distributions to switch to a 2200 $ APC and prevents the publication of a letter approved by Editor-in-chief, Janet Franklin. Franklin and academic editors resign en masse.

2019

2020

  • January 31, 2020, the editorial board and advisory board of the European Law Journal resigned en masse to launch a new journal in the same niche under a different title.
  • August 25, 2020, the editorial board of the Journal of Field Robotics resigned in order to preserve its academic independence and relaunch an equivalent journal without paywalls.
    • (old journal) Journal of Field Robotics (from Wiley) (perma.cc link)
    • (new journal) [watch this space]
    • See the open letter from the resigning members of the editorial board (perma.cc link). "In the near future we will announce a new forum for research in Field Robotics that will maintain the academic integrity of our editorial process while also ensuring open dissemination of your research."
  • December 31, 2020, most members of the editorial board of Journal of Combinatorial Theory A resigned en masse to launch a new OA journal on the same topic.

2023

  • April 2023, all the 40+ editors of NeuroImage resigned in order to protest the journal's high APC and launch a new OA journal.
    • (old journal) NeuroImage (from Elsevier)
    • (new journal) Imaging Neuroscience (from MIT Press)
    • See the open letter from the resigning editors (perma.cc link). "Elsevier has set the NeuroImage APC (article processing charge) at $3,450 USD. Compared against this, estimates ofdirect article costs at relevant journals are generally around $1,000 or lower. Scientists and funders increasingly feel that it is wrong for publishers to make such high profits, particularly given that the publishers do not fund the original science, or the writing of articles, or payments to reviewers, and pay minimal editorial stipends. As a result, authors and reviewers are increasingly refusing to work with high-profit journals."
  • April 2023, Wiley fired the founding editor of the Journal of Political Philosophy, which led many other editors to resign in protest. In early 2024 they announced that they had launched a new OA journal in the same field.

2024

  • May 22, 2024 all 38 editors of Philosophy and Public Affairs resigned en masse to launch a new open-access journal on the same topics.
    • (old journal) Philosophy and Public Affairs (from Wiley)
    • (new journal) Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs, from the Open Library of Humanities. (Website forthcoming in September 2024.)
    • See the unanimous public statement (also here) from the editors explaining their resignation from the Wiley journal and plans for a new no-APC open-access journal, May 22, 2024 (Perma.cc link). "We take this step because we believe that scholarly journals — including our own — serve important purposes, and that these purposes are not well-served by commercial publishing. For three decades now, academic journals have suffered from their ownership by for-profit publishers, who have exploited their monopoly position to sharply raise prices, unduly burdening subscribing libraries and shutting out other institutions and individuals from access to research. The recent rise of the author-funded “open access” model has only reinforced academic inequality, since scholars with access to fewer resources are unable to pay the fees that make their work freely accessible; it has also incentivized commercial publishers to try to publish as many articles as possible and so to pressure rigorous journals to weaken or abandon their quality controls."
    • See the separate resignation statement of Anna Stilz, the Philosophy and Public Affairs editor-in-chief, June 11, 2024 (perma.cc link).
    • See the announcement of the new journal's title and editorial board, August 13, 2024.