The applicability of Editorial Processing Centres to UK publishing

Faced with rapidly rising production costs and slowly rising demand, publishers of scholarly journals, especially learned societies, must examine cheaper production methods and consider how to utilize advances in technology. However, most learned societies are to small too take advantage of new technologies because of the level of investment and the high volumes of throughput that are required. The concept of Editorial Processing Centres (EPCs) has been developed in the USA under the auspices of the National Science Foundation and is seen as being a means of reducing costs without eroding quality or increasing publication time. An EPC is a co‐operative venture whereby a number of societies combine to provide computer support for all the functions of journal production, including editorial, printing and management functions.