This page provides an overview of the pros and cons of working with content aggregators, including some tips on what to look for in an agreement. Content aggregators in this context provide a service that gathers and organizes articles from various places in a single searchable database (e.g., Érudit, Ebsco, Proquest, etc.). In some cases, they then sell access to this content to libraries and other organizations. Ultimately, journals can make the choice to enter into an agreement with an aggregator based on a variety of factors: including the financial model, intended audience, and goals of each journal.
Journal may receive additional exposure through discipline-specific database (and in some cases, multiple databases that are owned by one vendor) that might be subscribed to by university libraries. This would increase the journal's reach, which it might not otherwise receive through other avenues. It also offers subject-specific audiences, which are lacking with interdisciplinary tools like WorldCat, DOAJ, or another Open Access Index.
It is good to have content available through many channels. This may mean having it available through the aggregators, which contain a combination of open access (OA) and non-OA content.
Metadata and statistics
The database service may provide enhanced metadata that become associated with their journal. The quality of the subject terms will vary, but some journals find the metadata enrichment helpful. Please note: some indexing and abstracting services claim copyright over the metadata found in their database.
The vendor should also be willing to provide statistics, noting the number of times an article has been viewed.
Potential for revenue through royalty payments
For some aggregators, there may be the opportunity for revenue based on usage in the vendor's database. The amount of revenue vary widely depending on a number of factors, including scope and timeframe of content in the database, whether or not the content is available elsewhere, and overall size of the database in which the content appears.
Journals should clarify these issues and ask for a royalty estimate.
Since these vendors often provide access via subscription-based databases, some open access (OA) journals may find it misleading that they aggregate OA content alongside subscription-based journals.
Vendors may be unwilling to link from the vendor site directly to the OA version of the article, or let users know that the journal content is available openly.
Restrictions on content (exclusivity)
In efforts to be commercially competitive, some aggregator agreements may place limitations on how the journal may disseminate its own content.
It's important to read through the agreement in detail and consider any limitations.
Read the fine print.
Do not sign exclusive agreements unless you are being paid (handsomely) for exclusivity.
Check the term length of the contract and whether it is automatically renewable, or allows you to re-evaluate after two to three years.
Ask for a royalty estimate. Those checks vary widely in size, and a vendor ought to be willing to both provide an estimate and explain how royalties are calculated. Will the royalties be affected by having the content openly available elsewhere? Similarly, the vendor ought to provide usage statistics.
Make sure the vendor isn't sub-licensing your content, or that you have some sort of control over where your material shows up. Many authors get upset when they see their articles appear on Amazon at $5-10 each.
Ask for references. The vendor ought to be willing to put the editor in touch with other editors that are happy with the service.
Find out what data is required from the journal and at what intervals. Do you need to provide article-level metadata in a useable format, or a copy of a PDF of each issue sent to the vendor? What mechanism will be in place to provide metadata and content to the vendor, and will this be a "push" or "pull" model? How much work will this require on the part of journal staff or other journal partners?
Ask whether the vendor will link back to the journal homepage or individual articles.
A reputable vendor should respond to questions in a professional manner and not ask the journal for any fees or concessions.
This page was adapted from the KU Libraries Working With Content Aggregators LibGuide, which was sourced from the LibPub Google Group. Contributors to the original document include Brian Rosenblum, Roger Gillis, Amy Buckland, Kevin Hawkins, and Brian Harrington.