Science is not just about making new discoveries. Sharing your results with the rest of the world via scientific journals is also a large part of a scientist's work. And nowadays, this involves a lot of money.

Here’s how it works: a group of scientists applies for research funding. If successful, they receive a grant, usually from a national or European funding body, meaning that the funding comes from public money. Once the first findings are available, they are written up in a scientific paper and submitted for publication.

After a selection and review process, academic publishing houses distribute these research papers via specialised journals (there are thousands of these, with major publishers like Elsevier managing over 2,900 alone). The findings reach the scientific community and other interest groups, such as policy makers and industries. For the scientists themselves, publishing in a renowned journal brings prestige – and that prestige helps secure status and funding for future research.

The practice of sharing academic work through scientific journals dates back to the 17th century, when it was far from profitable and only possible through generous sponsors. However, since the second half of the 20th century, commercial publishers have started playing a bigger role in this process.

Researchers depend on reading and publishing in academic journals to share findings, access new knowledge, and contribute to scientific progress. Prominent scientific publishing houses are now reporting high profit margins, making academic publishing a lucrative industry. This profitability depends on how publishers choose to charge for access or distribute research.

There are two primary publishing models with a scientific publisher: a first model where the author publishes without charge, and readers pay per article read, which for example is around €35 per standard article in Springer Nature’s journals. This may not sound like a lot, but for a researcher, building a good overview might require reading hundreds of articles. So academic institutions often buy bundled subscriptions to avoid individual charges for researchers and students. The second model is an open access model: articles are free to read and download by readers, making science accessible to all. However, the authors (usually via their universities) must pay an Article Processing Charge (APC), which can reach up to €10,850 per article in high-impact journals like Nature.

A surprising figure, considering that much of the actual publishing work is done by the researchers themselves. They handle editing and formatting to meet a journal's standard, and the review process is conducted by other researchers as part of the job.

There are growing calls to reflect on the current profit orientation of scientific publishing. Alternative models exist, such as authors sharing their work publicly as preprints before they undergo an official review process. Other journals follow a full open access approach with zero fees for readers and authors. Yet as long as prestige continues to shape where research is published, commercial journals with long-established reputation will likely keep their central role in the field.