Zul M

Zul Musa has over a decade of experience in publishing, working with one of the biggest scholarly publishers in a Malaysian research university. His interests lie in publishing trends and technology, open access and digital publishing. Zul has served in various capacities throughout many years, including editing, copyediting, journal administration, designing, and marketing. A book author and a keen writer, he was one of the recipients of the Malaysia Website Awards 2017.

The Future of Academic Journals: Is the Traditional Model Breaking Down?

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The future of academic journals - Featured

Introduction Academic journals have long been the gatekeepers of scholarly knowledge, shaping careers, setting research agendas, and determining which ideas gain traction in academia and beyond. For centuries, this model remained remarkably stable: researchers submitted manuscripts, peer reviewers vetted them, and publishers printed and distributed the final product, mostly to institutional libraries. Prestige followed citation … Read more

How Academic Publishers Make Insane Profits by Making Others Pay for Publicly-Funded Research Publications

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How academic publishers make insane profits - Featured

Introduction There’s a bizarre paradox at the heart of academia: governments and institutions spend billions funding research, universities pay scholars to write, peer reviewers work for free, and yet, when it’s time to access the final article, you still have to pay a publisher. Sometimes a lot. How does that make sense? The academic publishing … Read more

What Readers Really Want: The Psychology Behind Bestselling Books

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Psychology behind bestselling books - Featured

Introduction It’s no secret that some books skyrocket to the top of bestseller lists while others, despite strong prose or groundbreaking themes, fade into literary obscurity. The publishing industry often leans on formulas, buzz, and promotional budgets, but readers themselves are the real tastemakers. So, what do readers truly want? Why do some stories click … Read more

Publish or Perish in Academic Publishing: Is the Crisis Here to Stay?

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Publish or perish in academic publishing - Featured

Introduction The phrase “publish or perish” in academic publishing has become a kind of mantra—ominous, omnipresent, and seemingly unshakable. It encapsulates a reality where scholarly output is no longer just a means of sharing knowledge but a metric for academic survival. For early-career researchers and tenured professors alike, the pressure to churn out publications is … Read more