If you only read one article on scholarly publishing this year,
read “Access to the Scientific Literature–A Difficult Balance”
NEJM, 354:15 April 13th, 2006 pages 1552-1555.
The author is Martin Frank, executive director of the American Physiological Society. He states that the average cost to publish an article is $3,000 USD, with higher costs associated with greater rigor. He reviews the types of open access to the scientific literature, stating: “The question thus becomes how to recover this cost in a way that satisfies the need for access.”