Scholarly publishing is no longer “business as usual.” Succeeding in today’s rapidly changing—and challenging—publishing environment requires a strategy. Having a business strategy can help organizations focus on the things that are important to their mission and future resilience. A successful publishing strategy often requires a multifaceted approach to all aspects of the business:
Workflow and automation: Can technology be used to increase productivity and expedite the publishing process?
Peer Review: Are you employing tools to help locate reviewers and make their job, and that of your staff, easier?
Research Integrity: Can you implement tools and strategies to safeguard the integrity of your publications?
Business models: Do emerging business models for open access create a vulnerability for your program? Are you poised to take advantage of them?
Infrastructure: Do you have the right resources in the right places to fulfill long-term goals?
Partnerships: Are you getting the best value from your contracts and service agreements, or would you benefit from a capabilities assessment of potential partners and best practices?
These are just a few of the areas that scholarly publishers are exploring to maximize their cost-effectiveness, revenue, and future growth. Having a clear vision of the strengths and weakness of a program can help publishers develop a strategy that can equip them for managing some of the emerging trends that offer both threats and opportunities:
Researcher Education
“A lack of training around data management is the top concern for researchers in the UK and US” according to survey results released by Springer Nature. The survey also disclosed that researchers often do not have access to research integrity training and that a majority feel that such training should be mandatory. Educational tools, such as webinars, are a great way for publishers to support researchers with the information they need to get published and cited. Educational tools, such as webinars, are a great way for publishers to support researchers with the information they need to get published and cited.
Open Access
Coalition S guidelines continue to evolve, creating confusion among researchers, authors, librarians, and publishers. The role of the librarian has changed to add responsibilities for managing transformational agreements, as well as negotiating a host of other types of models, including subscribe-to-open. Compounding the problem are the OSTP guidelines in the US. The new models also bring about the need for new workflows to automate the process and reduce time from submission to publication.
Peer Review
Increasing attention to research integrity has shined a light on peer review and the need for tools to maintain rigor as well as expedite the process. AI can be our enemy or our best friend in this regard. Using the tools effectively, training peer review editors in best practices, and automating the process with an important human touch are all good strategies. Technology can help automate parts of the manuscript submission process while still preserving the integrity of the peer review process.
Community Engagement
Now more than ever it is important to work with stakeholders to support mutual goals. A key part of that engagement is interaction with librarians. They represent a vital link to researchers and faculty in raising awareness of content and helping with the publishing process. Societies and associations also can play a key role in providing educational products as member benefits. Equipping librarians and societies with tools to promote engagement can increase visibility and brand awareness and guide publishing decisions.
Learn More
Maverick is helping partners to deliver solutions across all areas of publishing strategy: from researcher engagement tools and new workflows to Open Access modeling and peer review and automation. Our unique structure allows us to assemble a team with the exact skills needed to support the project. For a Publishing Strategy review or a briefing on our latest Trends Report, reach out to your Maverick representative or contact info@maverick-os.com.
By Rebecca Rinehart
Maverick CEO and Head of US Operations
Rebecca Rinehart is a publishing professional with over 40 years’ experience in all aspects of scientific, technical, and medical publishing. Her extensive industry experience encompasses all aspects of scientific, technical, and medical publishing across books, journals, periodicals, and digital. She is the former publisher of American Psychiatric Publishing, a division of the American Psychiatric Association, and the world’s leading publisher on psychiatry, mental health, and behavioral science. Her other prior experience includes senior level positions overseeing publications at The Endocrine Society, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Harper & Row Publishers.
Further Reading
The role of AI in research integrity
Maverick’s Researcher Engagement Webinars