Academic publishing

Citations are growing at a faster pace in Asia than the rest of the world, according to THE rankings data 

ChatGPT’s ability to churn out mediocre papers should lead us to reappraise how research is carried out, reported and evaluated, says Martyn Hammersley

Periodicals ejected from scheme after failing to meet open access publishing targets

Journals’ predilection for data availability statements makes little difference to readers’ chances of getting their hands on the data

Creating new publications for disaffected editors could catalyse a sector-wide rethink on publishing norms, say experts

With just 50 sub-Saharan journals listed in Scopus, it’s time to consider how citation indexes are holding back scholarly publishing in Africa, argue David Mills and Natasha Robinson

Even journals that have removed paywalls retain their bias towards certain types of author – and their prejudice against others, says Katie Stripe

As anger mounts over cost of open access deals, moves to finance diamond journals and expand state-run digital platforms have divided opinion

Offering payment has risks, but it could expand the pool of willing reviewers beyond those on permanent academic salaries, says Duncan Money 

Even academics, never mind practitioners, will rarely read beyond an underwhelming and uninformative summary, says Maia Chankseliani

Anger over high cost of publishing in Nature and other titles as UK universities sign up for three-year agreement

Immediate review of outputs by a REF reviewer could be more efficient, transparent, informative and, above all, fair, says Martin Lang

Editorial team at NeuroImage will work with MIT Press to establish new non-profit journal

Bibliographic databases’ default ‘sort by relevance’ listings perpetuate bias towards white, Western men, says Katy Jordan

Publishers, libraries and funders must do what they can to ensure that no one is priced out of open-access publishing, says Mandy Hill

Publishing giant announces list of more than 100 nations where open access charges will not apply

We can’t discourage scientific opportunism without providing information about which publishers to avoid, says Natalia Letki

Further security service-directed restrictions could deal ‘serious blow’ to West’s China studies and isolate Chinese academics

Many such journals are on government-approved lists and indexed in mainstream bibliographic databases, says Emanuel Kulczycki

Clarivate’s delisting of academic publications will send a message that research integrity is paramount, says campaigner

Linking salary rises to publication record has fuelled research ethics violations, with early career academics struggling the most

After claims of image manipulation in papers by Marc Tessier-Lavigne, neuroscientist promises vindication amid signs of faculty unease

Analysis shows Swiss publisher MDPI set up almost 56,000 special issues with a closing date in 2023

Students often have no choice but to include professors who have had no input into papers as co-authors, says Roohola Ramezani

University groups say the proposed agreement with the German-British publisher ‘still does not meet the needs of the sector and our members’

‘Exponential growth’ in past few years sees China gain on the US in race to be the leading nation in global research output

Podcast appearances, op-eds and public lectures should all count in hiring and tenure decisions, according to new, broader definition of scholarship

Jointly run open access publisher will offer lower cost route for Scottish researchers seeking to comply with new UKRI rules on monographs

Leading scientists ‘appalled’ to find sham papers have been attributed to them say case against UK-registered publishers is overdue

Rights retention agreement aims to end ‘unhelpful’ model under which universities ‘give IP to publishers and buy access to it in perpetuity’, says Manchester librarian

Some editors publish most of their papers in their own titles, study finds

Scientific publisher hopes new credit scheme will reward and incentivise peer review

Identifying deception often requires analysis of patterns across large collections of articles. Publishers must work together, says David McDade

Researchers analysed data from 45 million papers and 4 million patents over six decades, finding less disruption and more consolidation

Growth of chapters seen in the 1990s has tailed off, and they are increasingly pushed towards the back

For academics trained to plough a narrow, deep, heavily footnoted field, writing for a more general audience can be difficult. But the rewards, both personal and financial, can be considerable. Matthew Reisz picks the brains of publishing professionals for their dos and don’ts

Scholars split on whether reforms – part of a wider relaxation of rules on doctorates – will tackle research fraud or whether they aim at the wrong target

Plos puts warnings on almost 50 papers after alleged reuse of ethical approvals, undeclared conflicts of interest and publication rates equivalent to an article every three days  

Scientific sharing trailblazer hopes detailed tracking of researcher behaviour will help identify stubborn obstacles to more cooperative environment

Five years on from Cambridge University Press’ controversial compliance with a Chinese government request to make more than 300 articles unavailable to Chinese readers, publishers are increasingly self-censoring content on ‘sensitive’ topics. But is the trade-off justified, asks George Cooper

‘Read and publish’ deals must not be the only game in town, critic warns

Nation ‘would do well’ to seek out global expertise for its 2023 national publishing plan, with negotiations expected to be ‘long and protracted’

LSE historian accuses journal of ‘compromising intellectual quality in favour of identity politics’

Building a publishing platform that allows scholars to earn from sales of their papers has put all Pooja Sawrikar’s rage to good use 

Greater efforts need to be made to distinguish predatory journals from those that at least aspire to scholarly standards, says Harvey Graff

Dozens of publishers have disclosed cost data as part of next stage of European-led open access push but ‘big two’ are absent

Region’s biggest transformative agreement ‘an important first step’ in open access ‘journey’

Analytics giant denies accusations it stole data but ends development of MetaDoor platform in settlement with WorldCat

Revealing desk rejection rates, peer review processing times and other useful operational data would do more to correct slipshod journal practices than an ‘author’s bill of rights’, says Jerry Jacobs

Encouraging students to embody their institution’s distinctive values will allow it to present a more rounded view of the true worth of higher education, says Claire Taylor

Changes that pretend scientists do not care about publishing in highly selective journals will end eLife’s crucial role in science publishing, says long-time supporter Paul Bieniasz

Following order of 2025 deadline for taxpayer-funded science to be made freely available to the public, major scientific society warns of costs, especially for women and youth

Tenfold increase in article output should be a research integrity ‘red flag’ for publishers, says Cambridge researcher Nick Wise

Monograph publishing needs partnerships between university presses and scholarly societies, say Helen Beebee, David Teira and Brian Scrivener

Biomedical and life sciences publisher says it wants to focus reviewers’ attention on content of research

Lack of institutional support in meeting the growing demand for data sharing must be addressed, says global study of attitudes towards publishing

New York-based manga comic expert claims withdrawal of Karl Andersson’s controversial paper may ‘stifle innovation and scholarship’ in future

‘Fluffy rationale’, ‘uncooked records’ and ‘kidney disappointment’ are among the nonsensical terms that have exposed bogus scientific papers

Research fraudbuster says publication of six papers with hallmarks of Russian paper mills indicates why periodicals must commit to more post-submission transparency

Eastern authors ‘risk falling behind’ on visibility and rankings if their work remains behind paywall while US moves to open research, scholars warn