Competitor Assessment: STM – Revolution In The Land Of The Giants

The current serials crisis has libraries and academic institutions in open revolt against the publishers that serve them. New 'Open Access' models that could pose a threat to the traditional Scientific, Technical & Medical (STM) publishers are on the rise. This Briefing steps back from the current highly charged industry atmosphere to take a detailed look at the players and market drivers in an $11-billion-plus sector. The Briefing looks at the company performance, strategies, and products of six main STM players: Reed Elsevier, John Wiley, Kluwer Academic Press, Thomson, Taylor & Francis, and Springer Science+Business Media. It includes Outsell data and research on scientists' needs and perceptions of STM products. It also reviews the current Open Access movement and several key manifestations of it: BioMed Central, Public Library of Science, SPARC, and institutional repositories. For commercial STM content vendors, the Briefing provides competitive and market analysis plus a road map for navigating through the Open Access revolt. For content deployment professionals, it includes advice for getting the best deal and maximizing the value of STM content purchased from these vendors.