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Academic & Scientific Media

Academic and scientific publishing runs on a different model from the rest of the industry. Its readers are mostly researchers and clinicians, and its customers are often the libraries and institutions they work for. What it really sells is confidence in the research record.

Open access has become the standard model, moving revenue away from subscriptions towards publishing charges and institutional agreements. Learned societies that switched early have used the change to build data and analytics products around their journals. Where research comes from is changing as well, with a growing share now produced in Asia.

However, it is a common misconception that open access somehow reduces the importance of the publisher. In reality, it is the opposite.

Niels Peter Thomas Academic media

AI raises the stakes. Fabricated papers test peer review on an industrial scale, and publishers are building integrity tools while deciding on what terms to license their content to AI developers.

Science also reaches general readers through magazines and specialist journalists, who face many of the same pressures as the rest of the press.

Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on academic and scientific media, from open access and research integrity to medical journals, institutional sales and science journalism, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.


Essential Resources

Academic media
Best Practice in Publishing

Academic media

We asked Niels Peter Thomas, chief executive officer of BMJ Publishing, what does best practice publishing look like in academic media? This is what he said…

Opportunities & Threats: Academic Media
FEATURE

Opportunities & Threats: Academic Media

The task ahead is clear, says Anke Beck: to harness AI not as a threat but as a catalyst.

Scientific / academic media
The Digital Transformation Journey

Scientific / academic media

Sara Sharman, head of content services, Institution of Engineering and Technology, tells Ciar Byrne about how the scientific / academic media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.

AI in practice: IOP Publishing
AI SPECIAL

AI in practice: IOP Publishing

Laura Feetham-Walker, head of publishing strategy and performance, tells us how IOP Publishing is using AI now and where she sees the best opportunities for future development.

BMJ – finding a wider audience
INTERVIEW

BMJ – finding a wider audience

Pandemics, climate change, health inequality are all existential threats that require expert trusted analysis, and that is why BMJ’s content is increasingly in demand beyond its traditional audience.

Experts – still valued here
PUBLISHER PROFILE

Experts – still valued here

With all the current talk around ‘post-truth’ and ‘alternative facts’, with people like Michael Gove saying they’ve “had enough of experts”, the newly rebranded Emerald Publishing – part of Emerald Group – is sticking to its core values. As Tony Roch

New revenue streams
INTERVIEW

New revenue streams

Mark Allen Group is a big believer in print… and a big believer in digital too! As Matt Cianfarani tells Ciar Byrne, digital publishing is opening up lucrative new revenue streams for the group’s healthcare titles.

You’ve got to take risks
INTERVIEW

You’ve got to take risks

Catherine de Lange of New Scientist was crowned Editors’ Editor of the Year at the BSME Awards. Here, she talks about her trend-spotting tricks, the “pub test” the team employ for stories & how she’s running a 70-year-old publication like a start-up.

Not just rocket science
OUT & ABOUT WITH ALAN GEERE

Not just rocket science

With big issues like AI and robotics, climate change and space exploration, it’s difficult to keep science off the front pages. But what does all this mean for the science journalists and writers who are forever adding context and explanation?


All Articles

IOP Publishing launches Environmental Research 2023
News

IOP Publishing launches Environmental Research 2023

IOP Publishing has announced it will host Environmental Research 2023 – a month of online events to unite global environmental experts in climate action.

17/08/2023

IOPP introduces ethics statement checker
News

IOPP introduces ethics statement checker

IOP Publishing has introduced a free ethics statement checker to support authors and speed up the submission process.

15/08/2023

Public access to published science is under threat in the US
News

Public access to published science is under threat in the US

Eight science publishers have signed a letter to the House Appropriations subcommittee to raise the dangers of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill’s draft language.

08/08/2023

Informa announces half-year results
News

Informa announces half-year results

Informa delivers further strong growth in revenues, profits and cashflows, with full year results expected to be at the top-end of guidance range.

03/08/2023

OUP overcomes market challenges to report growth
News

OUP overcomes market challenges to report growth

Oxford University Press has released its 2022/23 Annual Report, reporting £825m turnover and a growth on the prior year.

21/07/2023

Taylor & Francis introduces paperwrap
News

Taylor & Francis introduces paperwrap

Taylor & Francis is reducing its plastic use by introducing paperwrap for UK mailed journals.

13/07/2023

Magazine printing: 5 minutes with… Chris Ferrari-Wills
Q&A

Magazine printing: 5 minutes with… Chris Ferrari-Wills

For many publishers, the printed magazine remains their flagship offering. In challenging times, what can they do to get the best possible return on their print investment? We ask The Manson Group’s Chris Ferrari-Wills.

By Chris Ferrari-Wills  |  13/07/2023

IOPP expands scope of Reports on Progress in Physics
News

IOPP expands scope of Reports on Progress in Physics

IOP Publishing has announced the expansion of scope of its journal Reports on Progress in Physics.

12/07/2023

IOPP signs first OA publishing agreement in Oman
News

IOPP signs first OA publishing agreement in Oman

IOP Publishing accelerates open access publishing in Oman with Sultan Qaboos University agreement.

04/07/2023

IOPP rolls out new co-review policy
News

IOPP rolls out new co-review policy

IOP Publishing says it has extended its co-review policy to its entire owned journal portfolio, delivering a collaborative and supportive experience for all reviewers.

21/06/2023

Frontiers signs Polish OA agreement
News

Frontiers signs Polish OA agreement

Frontiers has announced its first open access publishing agreement in Poland.

21/06/2023

IOPP launches Environmental Research: Food Systems
News

IOPP launches Environmental Research: Food Systems

IOP Publishing is expanding its open access Environmental Research portfolio to address the urgent need for sustainable food solutions globally.

07/06/2023

Frontiers announces membership of STM
News

Frontiers announces membership of STM

Frontiers has announced that it has become a member of the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers, better known as STM.

07/06/2023

Frontiers appoints Julian Oei
News

Frontiers appoints Julian Oei

Digital media executive Julian Oei has been appointed to the position of group business officer by the open access publisher Frontiers.

02/06/2023

OUP shares progress on sustainability
News

OUP shares progress on sustainability

Oxford University Press has shared its latest Responsible Publishing Report reflecting on the steps the publisher has taken to operate sustainably.

25/05/2023

751 articles