The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) founded four peer-reviewed journals between 1909-1973. ASPET decided to drop print journals and go fully online, primarily for financial reasons. Print subscriptions and member subscriptions to the journals were declining, while the journals provided most of ASPET's income. Online access to the journals had been available since 1997 and became a member benefit in 2003. By 2008, online subscriptions surpassed print subscriptions. ASPET announced it would make the journals online-only starting with the January 2012 issues.

1. American Society for Pharmacology and
Experimental Therapeutics
• Founded in 1908
• Four peer-reviewed journals:
• Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics (1909)
• Pharmacological Reviews (1949)
• Molecular Pharmacology (1965)
• Drug Metabolism and Disposition (1973)
Decision to drop print was primarily
financial and staff driven

2. • ASPET members not required to subscribe to
the Society’s journals
• Print subscriptions not included with
membership
• Member subscriptions minimal –
– 200 to 575 per journal in 1989
– 65 to 90 per journal in 2011
• Journals went online in 1997
• Online access a member benefit starting 2003
• Journals provide 84% of earned income (2012)
Background

3. • Online-only subscriptions offered starting 2001
• Outpaced print w/online starting 2008
• Nonmember individual subscriptions
discontinued effective 2009
• All back issues online 2005-2006
• Advertising relatively low – 3% of income
• LOCKSS and CLOCKSS participation
• Mobile device version added 2011 – expanded
reach to developing countries (more mobile
devices than desktop computers)
Other Factors

4. Print-Based Income
Print w/online
subscriptions where
online access was
never activated
(assumed these
would be lost)
Print Advertising
Back Issue Sales
Print-Based Costs
Printing
Color Figures
Postage
Back Issue Storage
Claims for Missing
Issues
On Balance
were
greater
than

5. Still…

6. When was the last time you
used a print journal?
Uh….yeah….right.
Drop print.

7. Publicize
• Members – society newsletter
• Email announcements sent from online journals
• Announcements/banner ads on online journal sites
• Letter to subscription agents
• Prominent announcement on renewal invoices
• Banner on cover of last three print issues
• Contact subscribers who have not activated
online version
No matter what you do,
some people will not get the message.

8. • Cost per page 21% lower
• Free and unlimited color
figures
• Continuous publication
• No claims
• No print constraints:
– “Article of the future”
– Graphic tables of contents
– Animated covers
– Eliminate covers?
• Perception of online-only
journals
Probably not an issue
for authors any more
Is an issue for Chinese
institutional subscribers
• Countries with poor
internet access
• Advertising – but changing
Pros Cons
Online Only Starting with
January 2012 Issues

9. THANKS!
Rich Dodenhoff
ASPET Journals Director
rdodenhoff@aspet.org