Accessible publication of the results, data and ideas arising from research is a fundamental part of how science functions, how it advances, and how scientific evidence is used in different settings, from health care to disaster response to education. The future of scientific publishing matters to everyone.
This project has now been completed, and the ISC continues to build on this work through a new initiative – the Forum to reform science publishing and assessment.
Since the earliest days of scientific research, scholarly publishing has allowed scientists to share new ideas and evidence with the world. By offering up knowledge claims to be scrutinized, tested and applied, publishing is the basis of scientific ‘self-correction’. It forms the foundation of international scientific collaboration which accelerates the work of scientists taking on important global challenges from climate change to pandemic response.
But at such a critical time, there are deep concerns within the scientific community that publishing systems no longer meet the needs of global science.
A small number of corporations guard access to much of the scientific publishing system. Too often, paywalls block researchers and institutions from accessing articles, while high fees often exclude them from publishing in journals.
At the same time, an explosion in demand is straining the peer review system, while so-called predatory publishers exploit the increasing demand by offering unscrutinized routes to easy publication. And the use of journal impact factors and citations as the main measures of scientific merit has locked scientists into a model centered around ‘high-impact’ journals that are unaffordable for many authors and readers – a system that deepens inequalities and limits access to knowledge.
For publishing to fulfil the vision of science as a global public good – freely available, and for the benefit of anyone, anywhere — it must satisfy two fundamental responsibilities:
Through this project, the Council collaborates with its Members, national and international funders, universities, open science bodies, publishers and individual scientists, creating a powerful coalition for change that works to ensure that scholarly publishing supports the open, efficient and accessible dissemination and use of scientific work.
At the moment, the ISC continues to convene these discussions around open science with the Members and other various stakeholders.
The project calls for bold, ambitious action and collaboration. Implementing the ISC’s eight principles for publishing will challenge aspects of the culture and practice of science that have developed in recent decades.
Become part of the growing community working to imagine a future publishing system with science at its heart. For more information and to get involved, contact Megha Sud, Senior Science Officer.
For monthly updates on the project, sign up for the Open Science newsletter.
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