Now you see them, next you don’t, especially OA publications

Mikael Laakso (Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki) and colleagues  examined how many digitally published research journals disappear.

It’s not an especially big problem yet, but it will be if trends continue – vanished journals, to date, generally publish for seven years, remain visible for another one or two before disappearing into the on-line ether.

Journals from all geographic regions and disciplines disappear, although HASS leads the loss.

While all digital journals are subject to the same threats, OA journals face unique challenges, “current approaches to digital preservation are successful in archiving content from larger journals and established publishing houses but leave behind those that are more at risk,” they warn.