Academic Publishing at a Crossroads: Advocating for Structural and Epistemic Transformation

Abstract

Academic publishing, once intended as a vehicle for disseminating collective knowledge, has become a commercialised and exclusionary system. This paper critically examines the structural and epistemic inequities embedded in the current publishing model, arguing that radical change is necessary to realign scholarship with the public good. Guided by knowledge equity theory and critical political economy, the study analyses how corporate concentration, profit-driven access models, and impact-factor hierarchies distort the production, evaluation, and distribution of academic knowledge. The current findings reveal that oligopolistic publishers extract substantial profits from publicly funded research while restricting global access, thereby perpetuating what has been described as “knowledge apartheid.” Moreover, open-access alternatives often replicate inequalities through prohibitive article processing charges, shifting economic exclusion from readers to authors. The discussion emphasises the necessity of decommodifying academic publishing, reforming research evaluation systems, and decolonising epistemic practices to promote inclusivity and fairness. Policy recommendations include public investment in open infrastructures, multilingual publishing, and the adoption of equitable licensing frameworks. The paper concludes that meaningful reform must extend beyond institutional restructuring to encompass a cultural transformation in how academic value is defined and rewarded. Reclaiming knowledge as a public good requires dismantling profit-centred paradigms and embracing open, collaborative, and decolonised modes of scholarly communication.