Definition
A mega journal has the following defining characteristics: * broad coverage of different subject areas; * accepting articles for publication based on whether they are technically sound rather than selecting for perceived importance; and * using article processing charges to cover the costs of publishing. Other less universal characteristics are * "an accelerated review and publication process", "fast turnaround time"; * "academic editors", even "a large editorial board of academic editors", (instead of professional editors); and * value-added services such as reusable graphics and data through Creative Commons licenses. Mega journals are also online-only, with no printed version, and are fully open access, in contrast to hybrid open access journals. Some "predatory" open access publishers use the mega journal model.Influence
It has been suggested that the academic journal landscape might become dominated by a few mega journals in the future, at least in terms of total number of articles published. Megajournals are also disrupting the market of article processing charges. Their business model may not motivate reviewers, who donate their time to "influence their field, gain exposure to the most current cutting edge research or list their service to a prestigious journal on their CVs." Finally, they may no longer serve as "fora for the exchange ... among colleagues in a particular field or sub-field", as traditionally happened in scholarly journals. To counter that indiscrimination, '' PLOS ONE'', the prototypical megajournal, has started to "package relevant articles into subject-specific collections."List of mega journals
Notes
References
Further reading
* Bill Cope and Angus Phillips, ''The Future of the Academic Journal'', 2nd ed., Chandos Publishing, Jul 1, 2014, 478 pages. *