Introduction Few numbers hold as much sway in academia as the impact factor. For decades, this little metric has determined careers, influenced funding decisions, and made or broken the reputations of journals. It looks neat and simple, giving the impression of objectivity in a system that is otherwise messy and political. But beneath its polished … Read more
Introduction Publishing in Nature, Science or Cell can make a career, and that is exactly the problem: journal prestige has become a stand-in for the quality of the research itself. This article looks at how the prestige economy distorts incentives, slows science and excludes researchers, and at the alternatives now challenging it. Key points Few … Read more
Introduction Sci-Hub has been called everything from the “Robin Hood of science” to the “greatest threat to academic publishing.” It is a website that provides free access to millions of scholarly articles that would otherwise sit behind expensive paywalls. Depending on who you ask, it is either a heroic effort to democratize knowledge or outright … Read more
Introduction Academic publishing presents itself as the guardian of knowledge, yet much of its business rests on unpaid academic labour, paywalls and author fees. This article looks at the darker side of the system, from publisher profits and Sci-Hub to predatory journals, publish-or-perish and the barriers facing researchers in the Global South. Key points Academic … Read more
Introduction By 2030, academic publishing will have already shifted dramatically. Open access mandates are dismantling paywalls, AI-driven peer review is attempting to patch the holes in an overloaded system, and researchers are finding new ways to publish data alongside traditional articles. Yet, for all this talk of innovation, the publishing world is still wedded to … Read more