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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

CUP sees increase in research published open access
News

CUP sees increase in research published open access

Cambridge University Press has seen a 70 per cent increase in research published open access in its Transformative Journals.

28/06/2022

PPA Awards 2022 – winners announced
News

PPA Awards 2022 – winners announced

The publishing industry gathered at The Grosvenor House Hotel for the annual Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Awards.

23/06/2022

Cambridge Information Group acquires Emerald Group
News

Cambridge Information Group acquires Emerald Group

The Emerald Group last week announced they were acquired by Cambridge Information Group (CIG).

13/06/2022

BMJ joins STM Integrity Hub
News

BMJ joins STM Integrity Hub

BMJ has announced that it is an official participating member of the STM Integrity Hub.

31/05/2022

Emerald announces commissioning focus on Indigenous communities
News

Emerald announces commissioning focus on Indigenous communities

Emerald Publishing has announced that this year it will have an increased focus on commissioning Indigenous research.

26/05/2022

Frontiers and Consortium of Catalan University Services sign OA agreement
News

Frontiers and Consortium of Catalan University Services sign OA agreement

The Spanish research community’s commitment to open access publishing has been bolstered by a new agreement between CSUC and Frontiers.

23/05/2022

Frontiers appoints Dr Julia Kostova
News

Frontiers appoints Dr Julia Kostova

Frontiers has appointed Dr Julia Kostova as director of publishing development to lead the editorial strategy for the US market.

17/05/2022

Guild appoints Gregor Young
News

Guild appoints Gregor Young

Guild, a platform for professional communities and networking, has appointed Gregor Young, formerly marketing technology director at the Financial Times as COO.

13/04/2022

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.

By Meg Carter  |  12/04/2022

Finland and Frontiers establish national Open Access agreement
News

Finland and Frontiers establish national Open Access agreement

Finland expands Frontiers’ Nordic cohort and joins ranks with Norway and Sweden in their commitment to Open Science, says Frontiers.

08/04/2022

IOPP partners with ‘Get Full Text Research’
News

IOPP partners with ‘Get Full Text Research’

IOP Publishing is partnering with Get Full Text Research to make it easier for researchers to access published research or best available version.

30/03/2022

Switzerland and Frontiers reach national Open Access agreement
News

Switzerland and Frontiers reach national Open Access agreement

The Swiss research community has strengthened its commitment to Open Access through a new national publishing agreement with the Lausanne head-quartered open-access publisher Frontiers.

25/03/2022

OpenAthens announces winner of Best Publisher UX Award 2022
News

OpenAthens announces winner of Best Publisher UX Award 2022

Single sign-on provider OpenAthens announced De Gruyter as the winner of the third annual Best Publisher User Experience (UX) Award 2022.

24/03/2022

IOPP strikes new unlimited OA agreement with Max Planck Society
News

IOPP strikes new unlimited OA agreement with Max Planck Society

IOP Publishing has established a new, unlimited, transformative open access agreement with the Max Planck Society, taking an important step forward in the transition of its journals to open access.

23/03/2022

Emerald commits to equal representation across its publishing practices
News

Emerald commits to equal representation across its publishing practices

To mark International Women’s Day, Emerald Publishing has announced its commitment to helping break gender bias in academia by committing to improving the representation of women.

09/03/2022

751 articles