Introduction The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is arguably one of the most influential metrics in the history of academic publishing. Introduced by Eugene Garfield in the 1960s as a practical tool for librarians, it has since morphed into a behemoth that governs the careers of academics, the reputations of journals, and the decisions of universities … Read more
Introduction Academic publishing, for all its rhetoric about knowledge sharing, is driven as much by prestige as by the pursuit of truth. Scratch beneath the surface of any major journal or top-tier university press, and you’ll find a prestige economy humming along—a parallel universe where reputation, status, and institutional clout dictate who gets published, who … Read more
Introduction For over two decades, “open access” has been a rallying cry, a reform movement, and a publishing model all rolled into one. Depending on your vantage point, it’s either the great equalizer of global knowledge or a Trojan horse quietly upending scholarly communication norms. Open access (OA) once promised to democratize research, liberate knowledge … Read more
Introduction Ask any academic, and you’ll likely get the same groan followed by a long, exasperated sigh: “Why is peer review so slow?” It’s the bane of scholars everywhere. Months—sometimes over a year—can pass before a submitted paper is accepted, rejected, or worse, still floating in limbo. For early-career researchers on the brink of job … Read more
Introduction Once a sleepy corner of scholarly life, academic publishing has become a theater of controversy, disruption, and outsized profits. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry with a monopoly-like grip on knowledge, steered more by business models than scholarly ideals. At the same time, it’s facing mounting pressure from researchers demanding open access, institutions exploring alternative platforms, … Read more