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.
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…
The task ahead is clear, says Anke Beck: to harness AI not as a threat but as a catalyst.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
The ABMS Portfolio Program will leverage Ovid Synthesis, which now features Wolters Kluwer’s Expert AI, to streamline the continuing certification credit process and fast-track patient improvement initiatives.
The new guide supports good research practice and aims to strengthen trust in science.
APS Open Science will provide a community-driven platform that broadens recognition for high-quality physics research across all stages of discovery.
Elsevier last month introduced LeapSpace, an AI-assisted workspace to accelerate research and discovery.
Peer-reviewed journal TEMPO, recently acquired by Wolke Verlag from Cambridge University Press, is now exclusively available for institutional subscriptions via Exact Editions.
Last week Springer Nature and Research4Life announced they have extended their partnership to include access to protocols.io for scientists in over 90 low-middle-income countries.
A new global analysis of over 12 million documents reveals how academic research shapes sustainable development policy.
In this Q&A, Paul Hatch, group customer director at Air Business, answers James Evelegh's questions about how publishers can use AI to improve their customer services.
Last week Springer Nature reported strong business performance in the first nine months of 2025 and reiterated its Full Year guidance for 2025.
Elsevier’s global survey of 3,000 researchers reveals less than half have time to do research but see AI as transformative if given right tools.
Global science networks unite to accelerate evidence-based action on health and climate.
Elsevier has announced it is expanding its Geographical Pricing for Open Access to support greater participation in global research.
Edinburgh University Press released their annual report on 22nd October, noting record sales of over £5.1m.
AI is at its most powerful when it operates across the whole business, not in isolated silos. Rob Green, director of product and transformation at ESco, looks at what can be achieved.
Make openness Europe’s scientific strength: Frontiers urges action at European Parliament.
