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.

How to Secure APC Funding for Open Access Publishing in the US and UK

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APC funding for open access - Featured

Introduction Securing Article Processing Charge (APC) funding has become a vital step for researchers and academic institutions looking to publish their work in open access journals. With the growing shift toward more transparent and widely accessible academic outputs, APCs can present a significant financial barrier—especially for early-career researchers or those without institutional backing. In both … Read more

Is Diamond Open Access the Cavalry to Academic Journal Publishing?

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Is Diamond Open Access the Cavalry - Featured

Introduction Academic publishing is experiencing a serious identity crisis. Once the vanguard of scholarly communication, journal publishing now finds itself tangled in growing discontent over paywalls, equity, monopolistic pricing, and opaque processes. The conventional subscription-based model and its more recent relative, Gold Open Access (where authors or funders pay Article Processing Charges, or APCs), are … Read more

Inside the Canadian Publishing Market in 2025

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The Canadian publishing market in 2025 - Featured

Introduction Canada’s publishing industry in 2025 is navigating a landscape filled with both challenges and significant opportunities. As the world continues to evolve in terms of digital technology, content consumption, and cultural representation, the Canadian market has emerged as a fascinating case study of adaptation, resilience, and innovation. Long overshadowed by the dominance of American … Read more

Have We Entered the Fifth Industrial Revolution?

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Have we enterd the Fifth Industrial Revolution - Featured

Introduction The idea of industrial revolutions shaping the course of human history is not new. Historians and economists have long charted the evolution of society through these transformative phases—beginning with mechanization and steam power in the First Industrial Revolution, continuing with electrification and mass production in the Second, automation and computers in the Third, and … Read more

Why Are Article Processing Charges Expensive? Rethinking the Economics of Open Access Publishing

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Why are article processing charges expensive - Featured

Introduction In the evolving landscape of academic publishing, Article Processing Charges (APCs) have become both a prominent and controversial feature, particularly in the world of open access journals. As more researchers turn to open access models to maximize the visibility and reach of their work, they often face steep fees ranging from a few hundred … Read more