We believe that the open-access model will be more sustainable than the traditional subscription model, under which journal prices have been rising faster than inflation and faster than library budgets for three decades [5,6]. Between 1970 and 1995, the average subscription price of a science, technology or medical journal increased by 471% [4]. Consequently, subscriptions by academic institutions as well as by individual academics have decreased sharply, which means that researchers have access only to a small percentage of all research in their field [7].
What do the article-processing charges pay for?As an open-access journal, Breast Cancer Research does not differ from traditional journals in its commitment to peer review or its way of conducting it. We take seriously the journal's "gate-keeping function" [1] to control and certify research quality. Article-processing charges will cover the cost of our high-quality peer review, copy-editing and publication, and ensure permanent world-wide, barrier-free, open access to the full text of research articles published in Breast Cancer Research.
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