New Directions 2024 | From Trends to Tactics: Shaping Scholarly Publishing’s Near Future

Artificial Intelligence is impacting the world of scholarly publishing from all angles: shaping research and scientific methods to writing manuscripts to peer review and publication. Today we hear from 3 distinct voices across the scientific publishing spectrum—a professor and principal investigator leading AI in open science and governance methods using AI; an industry service provider on AI technologies combined with XML and production; and a publisher’s perspective on AI in publishing with an eye on the author experience. The group will also discuss their views on what the near future will hold.

Like us, the systems we create evolve over time with selective pressure. Scholarly publishing—notoriously rigid and slow to evolve—now faces its own pressures for change. As researchers and institutions slowly begin to embrace innovation, we are witnessing the emergence of new traits: faster science but also greater transparency; more autonomy, but also more accountability. Preprints are at the core of this revolution. They have empowered scientists to control how, when, and to what extent they share their work and engage with feedback. Now that researchers can share work on their own terms, new possibilities lay before us. This new world of research communication is powered by intuitive tools, enabled by strong metadata, and enhanced by AI. It allows scientists to showcase not just static representations of their findings but the full richness of their work. No longer constrained by artificial limits, researchers can now present dynamic outputs that evolve alongside scientific discovery. But if this is the future we desire, it is up to institutions, funders to support those who make this new paradigm possible and reward those who embrace it. The evolution of scholarly publishing is inevitable, and the time has come. Now all we need is pressure.

As the long tail of smaller publishers shortens, new entrants and partnerships are on the rise, plus new competitive dynamics are reshaping our industry. This panel brings together the perspectives of an information scientist, a marketing director, and an industry expert who will discuss the cycle and barriers of a partnership, a bold, new coalition built on purpose above profit, and the consolidation happening in publishing/technology and its impact on competition today. The panel will address problems in common that scholarly communication stakeholders face and would be better solved through partnerships, and the barriers to consolidating these partnerships due to challenges such as power imbalance, conflicts of interest, and competition.

In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries, the publishing sector is evolving from traditional models to dynamic, service-oriented frameworks. This session explores publishing as a service from three perspectives: the evolving expectations of researchers, the adoption of B2C digital tools in open access environments, and the novel role of library publishers. We will discuss how insights from customer research can redefine what authors value, examine the adoption of traditional direct-to-consumer technologies in scholarly communication, and consider the motivations behind library-led publishing initiatives. Join us to understand how these elements enhance service delivery in the scholarly publishing landscape.

Time to break out of our echo chamber! This panel of experts working as investigators and/or instructors in academic, corporate, or governmental organizations will share first-hand insights into researchers’ experiences within the scholarly realm, answering questions such as 1) How do you select a journal? 2) What role does artificial intelligence play in teaching, research, and publication? 3) How do funding mandates impact your publishing decisions? We will host a diverse line-up of professionals with varied backgrounds, career levels, research disciplines, industry involvement, and other contexts, who can reflect on their experiences as authors, editors, and reviewers. We will discuss the role of AI in research and publishing; experiences with open-access publishing; economic factors that impact publishing journeys; and much more!