Trends in journal prices: an analysis of selected journals, 2000–2006

This paper presents summary results from an analysis of the institutional subscription prices for journals in biomedical and social sciences, for a selection of 11 publishers. Overall price, price per page, and price per point of impact factor have been examined for the period 2000–2006. Considerable variation was found between publishers both in their overall levels of price and in the rates of increase observed over the period. There is some evidence that not‐for‐profit publishers may, on average, offer better value for money in terms of price per page and price per point of impact factor, but this is far from conclusive.