Policy analysis highlights uncompensated peer review in commercial publishing, suggesting reviewer compensation is vital for industry sustainability.
Key Points
To evaluate the reliance of commercial academic publishers on uncompensated peer-review labour and assess the necessity of financial compensation for reviewers.
Analyzed labour models and economic structures underlying commercial scholarly journal operations.
Assessed the workload of researchers and editors relative to commercial publishing profit margins.
Commercial scholarly publishing generates substantial profits derived primarily from unpaid peer-review and editorial labour.
Peer review constitutes one of the largest unrecognised labour forces in academia, threatening the long-term sustainability of the review system.
Financial resources within commercial publishing houses are adequate to directly compensate peer reviewers without compromising operational viability.