LA EDICIÓN DE TEXTOS CIENTÍFICOS VIGILADA: LAS GRANDES EDITORIALES Y LA MONETIZACIÓN DE LA INFORMACIÓN DE LOS AUTORES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37543/oceanides.v38i1.288Keywords:
TEXTOS CIENTÍFICOSAbstract
Las grandes editoriales del mundo académico basan parcialmente su modelo de negocios en el trabajo
no remunerado de los investigadores y en la venta de sus productos derivados a las universidades e instituciones
académicas. Así, la labor de revisión y edición de los investigadores se traduce en la venta de estos productos en forma de artículos por separado o suscripciones a precios de usura, considerando además en muchos casos, los cobros por el procesamiento de los artículos (APC, por sus siglas en inglés). Este es un negocio lucrativo al que las
grandes editoriales no quieren renunciar. Sin embargo, ahora se añade otro negocio quizá igual o más lucrativo a
sus operaciones editoriales: la riqueza detrás de la información propia de los autores o de los datos sobre el comportamiento de estos, contenidos en las publicaciones que poseen o controlan. Las grandes editoriales y corporativos
asociados como Clarivate, Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, SAGE y otras, utilizan el llamado
“análisis predictivo”, con el que procesan los datos de la producción científica para analizar el comportamiento de
los académicos que luego venden a sus clientes (y proveedores): las propias universidades. Estas editoriales se con- ducen con los académicos tal como lo hace Google con todos sus usuarios: obtiene datos sobre su comportamiento
generando información valiosa sobre sus tendencias, hábitos o preferencias. Google monetiza esta información con
las distintas empresas que desean vender sus productos a un público dirigido. De la misma forma, las editoriales
venden la información recolectada a las universidades y oficinas de gobierno relacionadas con la política científica
para la toma de decisiones. El nuevo negocio del “análisis predictivo” se basa en los datos de comportamiento que
producen los académicos. Es decir, los investigadores generan datos con cada participación en un artículo o informe
revisado por pares. Algunos de esos datos se introducen en los productos principales de las editoriales, en forma
de recuentos de descargas y recomendaciones de artículos. La publicación académica es su propia economía de
vigilancia emergente. Podemos denominar a una editorial como “vigilante”, si obtiene una parte sustancial de sus
ingresos utilizando el análisis predictivo a partir de la información extraída del comportamiento de los investigadores. Como dijo la Dra. Sarah Lamdan de la Facultad de Derecho de la City University of New York (CUNY School
of Law): “...tus revistas te están espiando
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