Professional journals

One of the most widely used metrics of the significance of published work is its citation rate, i.e., how frequently it is cited by papers that follow. Consequently, an apparently useful metric for journals is the citation rate of papers that it publishes.

I am a (very minor) author on a paper that was just accepted by the Knowledge and Information Systems (KAIS) journal. The following paragraph appeared in the acceptance email message.

Given that KAIS has established itself as a premier journal in knowledge systems and advanced information systems, and many of the papers published in the journal have been influential in their respective topics, I ask you to try and cite at least 3 to 5 recent, relevant papers from this journal in your final manuscript. Such citations will promote the journal's impact factor and will in turn help your own paper's influence.

On a related topic, Springer charges $679/year for access to this journal. If authors wish to make their papers available online, Springer will accommodate. It has an ''open choice'' program. For only $3,000, any paper will be made available online for free. I think both of those prices are outrageous. I can't understand why we continue to allow journal publishers to get away with it.