Taylor & Francis Launches Specialist Network to Help Authors Find the Right Journal for Their Article

September 27, 2023

Having an article rejected is a fact of academic life but a new journal network launched by Taylor & Francis aims to make that a more positive experience for researchers in Communication and Media Studies.

Very often, articles are rejected not because of concerns about quality of the research but because they’re not a good fit for the journal they’ve been submitted to. The new Communication and Media Studies Network gives authors of these articles a bespoke list of journals to consider and operates a time-saving transfer service, to move the submission to their chosen alternative.

The new network aims to significantly improve the support given to authors of rejected articles and to simplify the process of moving their articles to new journals for assessment. Using the network, which is free and entirely optional, will also help authors discover new journals in the field. The network has been designed to put researchers in control of the next steps for their research; article submissions will only be transferred to a new journal at the request of the author.

The Communication & Media Studies Network is a partnership of related journals, to help every researcher find the perfect home for their article. The network comprises 54 titles covering a broad range of subjects, including: Health Communication; Intercultural Communication; Journalism; and Information and Communication Technologies.

Teresa Thompson, editor of Health Communication, said: “Health Communication receives many more good submissions each year than we can publish, as well as lots of sound pieces of research outside of the journal’s scope. It’s always disappointing to tell authors that we won’t be publishing their article, so I very much welcome the launch of this new network which will give researchers the guidance and support that they need.”

Fiona Richmond, Global Head of Portfolio at Taylor & Francis, said: “Researchers regularly tell us that having an article rejected is one of the most challenging stages of getting published. At that point, not only do they have to come to terms with the fact that their paper isn’t going to be in the journal they had hoped but they’re faced with the prospect of finding a new journal and going through the submission process all over again. While the new network won’t take away all the disappointment that comes with a rejected article, we hope it will make the next steps much more straightforward.”

Melissa Fair, Head of Transfer Services at Taylor & Francis, added, “Authors love our article transfer process because, rather than having to dedicate time to submitting their manuscript to a new journal, we do the admin for them, so they can spend more time focused on their research. The Communication & Media Studies Network is an exciting addition to this service, giving authors tailored suggestions to help them find the right home for their research.”

Taylor & Francis’ Routledge imprint is one of the world’s leading publishers of Media and Communication Studies journals and books. Routledge journal partners include the National Communication Association, the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, the World Communication Association, and the International Communication Association.

More details about the Communication and Media Studies Network can be found on Taylor & Francis Author Services.

67 Bricks’ Emma Watkins joins ALPSP Directors as new Chair of Membership and Marketing Committee

September 20, 2023

Following a round of member voting, 67 Bricks’ Head of Marketing and Communications, Emma Watkins, has been announced as the new Chair of the ALPSP Membership and Marketing Committee (MMC). As a result, she will also be joining the ALPSP Board of Directors, leading on translating the strategic direction of the society into effective marketing and membership activity alongside the rest of the MMC.

She will take over the role from January 1 2024 from outgoing Chair Lou Peck, CEO of The International Bunch. Lou has been Chair of the MMC since 2021 and is now moving into co-chairing a new ALPSP Special Interest Group, ‘Marketing Connected’ with Hannah Baldwin, Head of Marketing at the Royal Society of Chemistry, which provides marketers in scholarly publishing with an open forum for sharing advice and best practice.

Emma says, ‘Having been a part of the scholarly community for the last 12 years, I am honoured to have been voted into this position by the members. I am already deeply impressed with the commitment and talent of both the wider MMC and the Directors and leadership of ALPSP, and I am excited to help guide the society as it continues to support such a vital, global industry’.

Emma has been working at technology consultancy 67 Bricks for two years, prior to which she was a marketing manager for IOP Publishing (IOPP). During her time at IOPP she specialised in society partnerships and reviewer engagement, as well as researcher marketing for books and journals. She is also an ALPSP trainer, delivering the Introduction to Journals Marketing course alongside Laura Ingle.

CACTUS Ready to Celebrate Peer Review Week 2023

September 20, 2023

Cactus Communications (CACTUS), a science communication and technology company, is ready to celebrate Peer Review Week 2023 from September 25 to 29, 2023. Editage, the flagship brand of CACTUS devoted to empowering researchers to achieve publication success and facilitating robust peer review processes, will be celebrating this global event that recognizes the essential role of peer review in scholarly publishing. This year’s theme, “Peer Review and the Future of Publishing,” will highlight the evolving landscape of academic research and the critical role that peer review plays in ensuring the quality and integrity of scientific communication. This theme was chosen by the global scholarly community through an open poll.

Abhishek Goel, CEO & Co-founder, CACTUS, said “Peer review is the foundation of reliable scientific knowledge. Amidst our journey into the future of publishing, acknowledging the pivotal role peer review becomes imperative in safeguarding research integrity and propelling innovation. It is essential that we adapt and embrace new technologies and innovative practices that enhance transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity in scholarly communication. Peer Review Week provides the ideal stage for shaping this path, and CACTUS, together with its initiatives like Editage, is dedicated to making meaningful contributions to these discussions.”

Roohi Ghosh, Ambassador for Researcher Outreach, Engagement, and Success, CACTUS who will be co-chairing the Peer Review Week this year said “Serving as the cornerstone of scientific communication, peer review ensures the reliability and credibility of research findings, and as we look ahead, it is essential to address the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving publishing landscape. I am honoured to engage in these important discussions. The resonance of this theme with a broader audience suggests a collective readiness to explore new horizons and chart a path that aligns with the evolving landscape. It’s an exciting time!”

This year, CACTUS has partnered with the European Association of Science Editors to coordinate numerous activities including panel discussions, interviews, and expert-led conversations. These endeavours are designed to engage researchers, publishers, editors, and other stakeholders in the scholarly publishing community. By uniting this diverse group, CACTUS seeks to reiterate its commitment to advancing research communication and supporting researchers worldwide.

Peer Review Week will be held between 25 and 29 September 2023.

To participate in Peer Review Week 2023 activities, please visit: https://www.editage.com/info/peer-review-week-2023-editage/

Digital Science announces brand redesign for ReadCube and Papers

September 20, 2023

Change reflects expansion and innovation across research literature management

Digital Science is excited to announce that ReadCube, a leader in literature management, is unveiling a comprehensive repositioning of the brand. Papers – the longstanding reference manager – will now be a standalone consumer brand as ReadCube rapidly evolves its enterprise-level literature management and document delivery solutions.

This strategic initiative reflects an ongoing commitment by ReadCube, part of Digital Science, to developing products that serve students, researchers, emerging organizations and global research-driven companies with innovation, efficiency, and enhanced customer experiences.

Two Solutions, One Goal

The brand redesign effectively differentiates how ReadCube can accelerate the expansion of critical literature management and workflow solutions while Papers will continue to thrive as leading reference management software.

ReadCube enhances research driven teams and organizations by transforming the way scholarly literature is accessed, organized, and shared.
Papers supports individual researchers and small teams be more efficient with tools to help discover, organize, collaborate on and cite research literature.

Driven by Customer Insights

The decision to undertake a brand redesign was influenced by valuable feedback gathered from within ReadCube and through feedback and input from a loyal customer base. By actively engaging with customers through surveys, interviews, and online analysis, the company gained invaluable insights into evolving preferences and perceptions as well as commonalities and distinctions that further solidified the rationale for reshaping the brand in two.

This redesign is a direct response to these insights, ensuring that the brand continues to effectively resonate with the rapidly evolving needs of each market.

A Vision for Growth

Robert McGrath, Founder and CEO, expressed the vision behind the brand redesign: “As we celebrate 13 years of success, it was important for the team to define a direction for the brand that retains the heart of who we’ve always been, and the journey we’ve taken, while also expanding space for an even bigger, brighter future ahead. This redesign is more than just a cosmetic change for us; it signifies our commitment to growth, innovation, and delivering exceptional value to our customers in each segment and of all sizes.”

Rolling Out the New Brand

Both ReadCube and Papers retain a logo that has become known by customers as an iconic colorful cube. This maintains a link between the brands while also enabling each solution to evolve independently across their market segments. The updated logo, color palette, typography, and imagery have been carefully crafted to resonate with both existing and potential customers across ReadCube and Papers.

The new brand identity will be seamlessly integrated across all touchpoints, including new websites for ReadCube and Papers as well as redefined social media profiles for each brand. This phased rollout will ensure a smooth transition for customers while allowing them to engage with the refreshed brand experience.

Clarivate Unveils Citation Laureates 2023 – Annual List of Researchers of Nobel Class

September 20, 2023

Clarivate, a global leader in connecting people and organizations to intelligence they can trust to transform their world, today named 23 world-class researchers from institutions in five countries as Citation Laureates™. These are researchers whose work is deemed to be of Nobel class, as demonstrated by analysis carried out by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)™ at Clarivate™.

This year’s Citation Laureates have made significant contributions across a diverse range of fields, including cancer treatment, human microbiomes, synthetic gene circuits, spintronics, designer molecular structures, sleep/wake cycles, wealth inequality and urban economics. Sixteen of the honorees are based at leading academic institutions in the United States, two each are based in Japan, the United Kingdom and France, and one is based in Germany. These individuals represent an elite group whose research publications are highly cited and who have already exerted a profound and often transformative impact on their fields of research.

Emmanuel Thiveaud, Senior Vice President for Research & Analytics, Academia & Government at Clarivate said: “Clarivate uses quantitative citation data from the Web of Science™, together with unparalleled qualitative analysis to successfully identify individuals who go on to be recognized by the Nobel Assembly. “

“The achievements of the Citation Laureates 2023 are not just notable, but emblematic of the kind that Clarivate identifies as Nobel-worthy. These research giants typically publish papers that garner more than 2,000 citations — a truly rare accolade — that should be celebrated. This list recognizes many decades of work, laying ground for countless discoveries and innovations that have transformed our world.”

Since 2002, analysts at the Institute for Scientific Information have drawn on publication and citation data from its index of trusted journals to identify potential Nobel Prize winners in the areas of Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Economics. Out of more than 58 million articles and proceedings indexed in the Web of Science since 1970, only about 8,700 (.01%) have been cited 2,000 or more times. It is from the authors of this group of papers that Citation Laureates are identified and selected.

Since 2002, experts at the ISI have identified 71 Citation Laureates prior to their Nobel Prize success – often years before they were recognized in Stockholm.

The Citation Laureates 2023 are:

Physiology or Medicine

Carl H. June, Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; and Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and Steven A. Rosenberg, Senior Investigator and Chief, Surgery Branch at the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States, and Michel Sadelain, Stephen and Barbara Friedman Chair; Director, Center for Cell Engineering, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States For breakthrough research advancing chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for the treatment of cancer

Rob Knight, Director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation and Professor of Pediatrics, Bioengineering, and Computer Science & Engineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States For computational and experimental research revealing the complex microbial ecosystems of the human body

Clifford B. Saper, James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and Emmanuel Mignot, Craig Reynolds Professor of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States, and Masashi Yanagisawa, Director of the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; adjunct professor, Department of Molecular genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States For genetic and physiological studies of the sleep/wake cycle and the discovery of hypocretin/orexin as important regulators of sleep involved in the cause of narcolepsy

Physics

Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States For pioneering research on photonics, plasmonics, and metasurfaces, as well as contributions to the invention of and improvements on the quantum cascade laser

Sharon C. Glotzer, John Werner Cahn Distinguished University Professor of Engineering; Anthony C. Lembke Department Chair of Chemical Engineering; Stuart W. Churchill Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering; Professor, Material Science & Engineering; Professor, Physics; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States For demonstrating the role of entropy in the self-assembly of matter and for introducing strategies to control the assembly process to engineer new materials

Stuart S. P. Parkin, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle and Professor at the Institute of Physics of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany For research on spintronics and specifically the development of racetrack memory for increased data storage density

Chemistry

James J. Collins, Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Professor of Biological Engineering, MIT; Member of the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Faculty; Founding Faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University; and Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, and Michael Elowitz, Professor, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, California, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and Stanislas Leibler, Gladys T. Perkin Professor, Laboratory of Living Matter, Rockefeller University, New York, New York; Professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, United States For pioneering work on synthetic gene circuits, which launched the field of synthetic biology

Shankar Balasubramanian, Herchel Smith Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge; Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute; Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, and David Klenerman, Royal Society GSK Research Professor, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge; and Fellow of Christ’s College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom For the co-invention of next-generation DNA sequencing methodology that has revolutionized biological research

Kazunori Kataoka, Center Director, Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, Kawasaki, Japan; Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, and Vladimir P. Torchilin, University Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and Karen L. Wooley, Distinguished Professor, W.T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry, Professor of Chemistry, with courtesy appointments in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering, Director of the TAMU Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States For the development of innovative drug and gene targeting and delivery methods

Economics

Raj Chetty, William A. Ackman Professor of Economics and Director of Opportunity Insights, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States For understanding the determinants of economic opportunity and identifying policies to increase social mobility

Edward L. Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics and the Chairman of the Department of Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States For penetrating analysis and insights on urban economics and the city as an engine of growth

Thomas Piketty, Professor at EHESS and at the Paris School of Economics, Paris, France, and Emmanuel Saez, Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States, and Gabriel Zucman, Professor of Economics, Paris School of Economics and Ecole Normale Supérieure – PSL; Associate Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States For research on income and wealth inequality and its consequences

David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at ISI said: “The Citation Laureates 2023, by the influence of their research contributions revealed in their citation profiles, are peers of those who have received a Nobel Prize. In many cases, they are not merely authors of highly cited papers but sculptors of new disciplines. All have reshaped the landscape of knowledge profoundly, and it is an honor to be able to recognize their achievements.”

To learn more about the methodology of the list and view our Hall of Citation Laureates, please visit our website.

University of Sussex connects Figshare to Symplectic Elements to create a joined-up research data management solution

September 20, 2023

Digital Science, a technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, is pleased to announce that the University of Sussex has successfully integrated Figshare and Symplectic Elements from Digital Science’s flagship products to create a seamless, interoperable research information and data management solution.

The University of Sussex (Sussex) is a leading research-intensive university in the South of England. Sussex was the first of the new wave of UK universities founded in the 1960s, receiving its Royal Charter in 1961.

Sussex has been using Symplectic Elements as its Current Research Information System (CRIS) since 2020, initially integrated with EPrints as its institutional repository (called Sussex Research Online, or SRO). In 2022, Sussex took the decision to migrate SRO from EPrints to Figshare in order to create a more joined-up solution to support its Open Access needs. Moving to a full Figshare institutional repository supports the streamlining of IT Services and also enables repository staff teams to be more flexible as they work with Figshare alone, as opposed to two varying systems for papers and data.

SRO is a key part of the University’s research strategy to make research outputs available globally. The repository contains electronic theses and research publications including articles, conference proceedings, working papers and some research monographs. With this new integration, Sussex will be able to benefit from the close synergy between the Figshare and Symplectic client services teams beneath their shared parent organisation, Digital Science.

Amy Waldron, Digital Development Manager at the University of Sussex says: “Digital Science provided tremendous expertise at every stage of the process, supporting our skilled in-house team in managing complex repository metadata and combining this with robust project management processes, making this a successful and rewarding project to work on.

“The deeply integrated environment we now have will greatly enhance our ability to manage the range of repository activities and strengthen our position in preparing for any future research assessment exercises.”

Jonathan Breeze, MD ResearchWorkflows at Digital Science, says: “We’re delighted to announce the integration of Figshare and Symplectic Elements at the University of Sussex, enabling the creation of a seamless research information and data management solution.”

“Through this integration Sussex is leading the way in bringing together the combined strengths of two of Digital Science’s products, affording Sussex greater opportunities to further enhance the experience of researchers from all research disciplines.”

Knowledge for all: Taylor & Francis marks 10 years of open access books

September 20, 2023

Taylor & Francis is marking an open access (OA) milestone with a showcase of ‘must read’ books and chapters highlighting the role of OA in driving progress on global issues.

Negotiating Bioethics became the first fully open access Taylor & Francis book in 2013. Ten years later, with a list of more than 1,500 OA titles and thousands and of individual open chapters, Taylor & Francis is one of the world’s leading open access book publishers.

In a new collection, Taylor & Francis editors nominate 12 standout OA books of the last decade on important global issues, including human rights, environmental justice, sustainable development and public health.

The chosen books put a spotlight on the role of open access in sharing new knowledge with a broad readership. This is especially important when research has implications for policy or practice, such as Technology and Sustainable Development, focusing on the practical challenges facing governments around the world.

Other featured examples include: Noncommunicable Diseases: A Compendium, described by former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark as “a first port of call for health and development professionals, including ministers and parliamentarians”, and The Psychology of Fake News, cited in an OECD policy paper and one of the 10 most downloaded Taylor & Francis OA books of the last decade.

Many of the titles have also helped the public get to grips with key concepts that affect the world we live in. Gabriel Farago, bestselling author of the Jack Rogan Mysteries Series, has described RNA, the Epicenter of Genetic Information, as a book that’s not only for scientists but “will appeal in equal measure to the thinking generalist and culturally curious interested in the thrilling history of molecular biology.”

Jeremy North, Taylor & Francis Books Managing Director, said: “We’ve seen an increasing number of authors choosing to publish open access with us over the last decade, resulting in Taylor & Francis becoming one of the top OA book publishers. Our new showcase aims to capture the diversity of OA titles addressing pressing concerns for our societies today.”

North added, “My own nomination is Bitcoin and Beyond, a fascinating, multi-disciplinary collection assessing the global governance implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchains. It’s also now the fourth most downloaded book of all the 26,000+ titles hosted on the OAPEN platform.”

12 must-read open access books can be found on the Taylor & Francis Insights Blog.

The Company of Biologists renews Read & Publish agreement with EIFL to expand Open Access publishing opportunities

September 20, 2023

The Company of Biologists is delighted to announce the renewal and expansion of our Read & Publish Open Access agreement with Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) from 2024-2026.

From 2024, corresponding authors in 30 developing and transition economy countries can now benefit from publishing an uncapped number of Open Access research articles in our two fully Open Access journals – Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open in addition to our hybrid journals, Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology without paying an article processing charge (APC). Researchers at participating institutions also benefit from unlimited access to the journals and their archives dating back to 1853.

Eligible countries
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Moldova, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, North Macedonia, Palestine, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Lorraine Estelle, Licensing Programme Manager, EIFL, says:

“We are glad that corresponding authors from EIFL partner countries will be able to publish Open Access in all The Company of Biologists’ journals. We value the partnership with the Company and welcome the extension of the agreement for three more years for free access and publishing for 30 EIFL partner countries.”

Shelly Turner, Head of Sales and Business Development at The Company of Biologists, says:

“We are delighted that our continuing partnership with EIFL has enabled us to expand the number of journals from three to five from 2024 which will in turn offer more opportunities for authors in 30 developing and transition economy countries to submit fee-free Open Access articles.”

Kudos and Impact Science launch Sustainable Development Knowledge Showcase

September 18, 2023

Publishers collaborate to provide United Nations with relevant research for SDG Progress Summit.

Kudos, the platform for showcasing research, and Impact Science, a brand of Cactus Communications, have today launched the Sustainable Development Knowledge Showcase, to help policy makers and wider publics to find, understand and act on research related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The website contains over 300 plain language summaries of highly relevant, actionable research. Each summary is mapped against the relevant SDGs, and includes a “key takeaway” to clearly set out the researchers’ recommendations for change.

The initiative is sponsored by major publishers from across a wide range of research areas, including Springer Nature, Sage Publishing, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Its launch is timed to coincide with the SDG Summit being hosted this week by the United Nations. World leaders will convene to review progress and reaffirm commitments to the Goals, and the Sustainable Development Knowledge Showcase is designed to provide interested parties with a ready-made collection of easy-read research summaries to inform discussion and decision-making.

The Sustainable Development Knowledge Showcase can be accessed free at:

https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/sdg-knowledge-cooperative

Quotes:

“Breaking down the barrier between SDG research — and the audiences that need to act on it”

“As a signatory to the SDG Publishers Compact, ASCE is committed not only to taking in-house actions that support the Goals, but also to breaking down the barrier between SDG research — and the audiences that need to act on it. The Kudos SDG initiative is a great way for us to deliver on that commitment, tapping into Kudos’ expertise in getting content in front of broad audiences including policy makers, educators, and the wider public.”

Leslie Connelly, Director, Publications Marketing at American Society of Civil Engineers

“The information that will help address the world’s most pressing challenges”

“Collaboration is essential to achieving the SDGs. Our participation in the Sustainable Development Knowledge Cooperative is one of many initiatives we’ve put in place to facilitate knowledge exchange and equip decision makers with the information that will help address the world’s most pressing challenges. It’s all part of delivering on the commitments we’ve made to our staff, our society partners, and our authors.”

Nicola Jones, Director of the SDG Programme at Springer Nature

“Supporting a more equitable future and helping to drive positive social change”

“Earlier this year we laid out our progress and continued commitment to sustainability in our first Independence with Impact report. Joining the Sustainable Development Knowledge Cooperative is a collaborative next step in disseminating the latest research to the widest audiences, supporting a more equitable academic future and helping to drive positive social change.”

Miranda Nunhofer, Vice President of Research at Sage

“Showing how chemical science solves sustainability challenges”

“The chemical sciences are vital to society’s ability to help meet the challenges set by the sustainable development goals. As a leading society and publisher, it’s important that we lead in showing how chemical science solves sustainability challenges, not only in terms of advancing research, but also by influencing the actions of individuals and strategy and policy professionals worldwide. The Sustainable Development Knowledge Cooperative is an important route for us communicate this to a global audience.”

Harp Minhas, Publisher & SDG Representative at the Royal Society of Chemistry

IOP Publishing is the winner of the new ALPSP Impact Award 2023

September 15, 2023

Winners of the ALPSP Awards 2023 have been announced on 14 September at the ALPSP Annual Conference dinner held at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate, UK.

The ALPSP Award for Contribution to Scholarly Publishing was presented to Pippa Smart.

IOP Publishing (IOPP) was confirmed as the winner of the new ALPSP Impact Award 2023 with its entry as the first society publisher to combine double anonymous and transparent peer review. This was closely followed by Original Études for the Developing Conductor which was awarded highly commended for its peer-reviewed, freely-available, Creative Commons licensed collection.

For the ALPSP Award for Innovation in Publishing, two joint winners were named: BMJ Impact Analytics, for the first research impact tool focused on health and social care, and Medwave/Kriyadocs for their technology-based workflow for bilingualism from submission to publication.

ALPSP Award for Contribution to Scholarly Publishing

This award recognizes an individual or organization who has made a major contribution to scholarly publishing. Jamie Humphrey, Chair of ALPSP and Head of Journals, Royal Society of Chemistry presented this year’s award on behalf of the Board of Directors.

Winner: Pippa Smart
Pippa’s career has included a variety of roles from production through to journal development. She helped set up the ALPSP training programme, penned ALPSP Alert for ten years and served as Editor of Learned Publishing for seven during which time she transformed the journal. She was president of the European Association of Science Editors, a Non Executive Director of Practical Action Publishing and a Director of the World Association of Medical Editors. During her time at INASP she was instrumental in developing African Journals Online. Throughout her career, she has been a great advocate and facilitator of the sharing of best practice, policy and new developments in scholarly publishing – and always with a smile.

The ALPSP Impact Award 2023

New for this year, the ALPSP Impact Award celebrates significant initiatives, projects or collaborations within scholarly communication and academic research that are making a positive difference.

Winner: IOP Publishing (IOPP)
IOP Publishing (IOPP) is the first society publisher to combine double anonymous peer review and transparent peer review throughout its entire portfolio of open access journals. Together these two processes complement each other, allowing for maximum objectivity during the review process, and maximum transparency after publication. The move is part of IOPP’s dedication to tackle the significant under-representation of authors due to gender, racial, affiliation and geographical bias as well as the need to address the lack of transparency and sharing of best practices in peer review.

Highly commended: Original Études for the Developing Conductor
Original Études for the Developing Conductor is a peer-reviewed Creative Commons licensed collection of supplemental études designed to enhance contemporary conducting educational resources by amplifying the voices of composers from historically excluded groups. Created by the Open Education Initiative project, it addresses issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in a meaningful way. This resource presents original materials beyond what are typically available from the Public Domain. While a print-on-demand option is available, they have worked to create a resource that is freely available and easy to navigate electronically.

Finalists for 2023 were:

· Africa Commons

· eLife’s new publishing model

The ALPSP Award for Innovation in Publishing 2023

The well-known ALPSP Award for Innovation in Publishing, recognizes any new development, product, service, launch or project which is both innovative and of significant value to scholarly communication.

Winner: BMJ Impact Analytics
The collaboration between BMJ and Overton resulted in BMJ Impact Analytics, the first research impact tool focused on health and social care. BMJ Impact Analytics makes it easy to find, track, and share the real-world impact of health and medical research.

Winner: Bilingualism from submission to publication from Medwave and Kriyadocs
Medwave and Kriyadocs worked together to design a fully bilingual peer review and production platform that enables the simultaneous publication of Spanish and translated English articles. This model also serves as a blueprint for future endeavours in multilingual publishing, paving the way for more accessible, collaborative, and culturally diverse scientific communities.

Finalists for 2023 were:

· Cassyni Journal Seminar Series

· Schol-AR

David Sommer, chair of the judging panel, and co-founder at Kudos commented:
“The judges were all really impressed by such a high calibre of entries this year.

For the Impact Award, the winner IOP Publishing clearly demonstrated its immediate but also potential long-term benefit. It is a model which could be taken up by other publishers and disciplines to measure and improve diversity and authorship. The approach is evidence based and demonstrates impressive statistical analysis. We awarded highly commended to Original Études for the Developing Conductor in recognition of the notable impact this educational resource is having in terms of improving quality, accessibility and diversity.

In the Innovation Award, the judges selected BMJ Impact Analytics and Medwave/Kriyadocs as joint winners. Both entries demonstrated that they are doing something different – BMJ is about the impact of research on policy while the Medwave/Kryadocs focuses on being equitable at the start of the publishing process. Both have the potential to be extended out to other subject areas and both push the status quo, one to challenge the norm of ‘English first’ and the other by taking research out of its ivory tower.”

Watch the finalists’ videos and read the guest blog posts for a more detailed insight into each shortlisted entry.

Judging Panel for ALPSP Impact and Innovation Awards

David Sommer, Chief Product Officer & Co-founder, Kudos (Chair)
Iain Craig, Senior Director of Market & Publishing Analytics, Wiley
Richard Gedye, Scholarly and Professional Publishing Consultant
Athena Hoeppner, Discovery Services Librarian, University of Central Florida
Robert Iannello, Education Senior Product Manager, ARM Education Media
Haseeb Md Irfanullah, Independent Consultant, Environment Climate Change & Research System
Alice Meadows, Co-founder, MoreBrains
Fabienne Michaud, Product Manager, Crossref
Louise Russell, Director, Tutton Russell Consulting
Steve Sharp, Head of Library Resources, Sheffield Hallam University
David Smith, Head of Technology Strategy, The IET
Elaine Sykes, Head of Open Research, Lancaster University
Alexandra Winzeler, Product Manager for E-Services, OCLC

For more information about all the awards, please visit the ALPSP website.

Agreement on UK Association to Horizon Europe

September 13, 2023

Science Europe welcomes the new agreement of association of the United Kingdom to the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.

It continues to advocate the crucial importance of international research collaboration and the association of other eligible third countries to the programme, including Switzerland.

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s current Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. With a budget of €95.5 billion, it is a key programme in tackling climate change, helping to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and boosting the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

Science Europe is very pleased that an agreement was reached between the United Kingdom and European Union on association to the Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes. The lack of such an agreement caused much uncertainty for both researchers in the UK and for researchers collaborating with UK partners in the last several years.

Following the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the lack of a renewed association agreement with Switzerland, Science Europe and its Member Organisations have advocated the association of eligible third countries to Horizon Europe. They have strongly supported – and continue to support – the Stick to Science initiative.

On the new association with the United Kingdom, Science Europe President Marc Schiltz said: “This decision will further strengthen both the EU and UK’s commitments to excellence. Over the years, Science Europe has strongly advocated the inclusion of the UK and Switzerland in Horizon Europe, especially in view of their scientific excellence and the contributions of their research organisations. We look forward to continue working internationally with our colleagues at UK Research and Innovation, now from a strengthened position. We hope to be in the same situation with Switzerland soon.”

Likewise, professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of UK Research and Innovations’ Arts and Humanities Research Council, responded with delight to the news: “Our partnerships across Europe have been of enormous benefit to each other as nations, and to our businesses and communities. We have built lasting friendships through shared values rooted in the belief in science without borders.” He said that UKRI looks forward to working with its communities and partners to capture the many benefits of Horizon Europe, and to join forces in facing the pressing challenges that only research and innovation can solve.

Crossref acquires Retraction Watch data and opens it for the scientific community

September 13, 2023

The Center for Scientific Integrity, the organisation behind the Retraction Watch blog and database, and Crossref, the global infrastructure underpinning research communications, both not-for-profits, announced today that the Retraction Watch database has been acquired by Crossref and made a public resource. An agreement between the two organisations will allow Retraction Watch to keep the data populated on an ongoing basis and always open, alongside publishers registering their retraction notices directly with Crossref.

Both organisations have a shared mission to make it easier to assess the trustworthiness of scholarly outputs. Retractions are an important part of science and scholarship regulating themselves and are a sign that academic publishing is doing its job. But there are more journals and papers than ever, so identifying and tracking retracted papers has become much harder for publishers and readers. That, in turn, makes it difficult for readers and authors to know whether they are reading or citing work that has been retracted. Combining efforts to create the largest single open-source database of retractions reduces duplication, making it more efficient, transparent, and accessible for all.

Product Director Rachael Lammey says, “Crossref is focused on documenting and clarifying the scholarly record in an open and scalable form. For a decade, our members have been recording corrections and retractions through our infrastructure, and incorporating the Crossmark button to alert readers. Collaborating with Retraction Watch augments publisher efforts by filling in critical gaps in our coverage, helps the downstream services that rely on high-quality, open data about retractions, and ultimately directly benefits the research community.”

The Center for Scientific Integrity and the Retraction Watch blog will remain separate from Crossref and will continue their journalistic work investigating retractions and related issues; the agreement with Crossref is confined to the database only and Crossref itself remains a neutral facilitator in efforts to assess the quality of scientific works. Both organisations consider publishers to be the primary stewards of the scholarly record and they are encouraged to continue to add retractions to their Crossref metadata as a priority.

“Retraction Watch has always worked to make our highly comprehensive and accurate retraction data available to as many people as possible. We are deeply grateful to the foundations, individuals, and members of the publishing services industry who have supported our efforts and laid the groundwork for this development,” said Ivan Oransky, executive director of the Center for Scientific Integrity and co-founder of Retraction Watch. “This agreement means that the Retraction Watch Database has sustainable funding to allow its work to continue and improve.”

Please join Crossref and Retraction Watch leadership, among other special guests, for a community call on 27th September at 1 p.m. UTC to discuss this new development in the pursuit of research integrity.