Independent Thinking on Publishing's Future
Introduction The scholarly publishing landscape has never been what one might call ‘static,’ but in 2026, the rate of change feels less like a slow evolution and more like a rocket launch. We’re past the argument of whether research should be open access. Today, the discussion revolves around how we achieve universal openness in a … Read more
Introduction Perplexity’s Comet is an AI browser that can search, summarise and act on a user’s behalf. If browsing becomes something an agent does for us, publishers lose the click that their traffic, advertising and subscription models depend on. This article looks at what Comet does and what it means for publishers. Key points The … Read more
Introduction The question of whether America is losing a publishing war with China is not a simple binary one. It’s more like comparing apples to sophisticated, state-sponsored oranges in a rapidly evolving global marketplace. For decades, the US and the Western world, in general, held an almost unchallenged dominance in global publishing, particularly in academic … Read more
Introduction AI now touches every stage of publishing, from drafting and editing to peer review, marketing and discovery. This article looks at where it is useful, where it creates new legal and ethical problems, and why human judgement still decides what gets published. Key points The publishing world has always been a rather slow-moving beast, … Read more
Introduction Welcome to the chaotic, brilliant, and perpetually cash-strapped world of academic publishing. If you’re picturing dusty libraries and quill pens, you’re about a century out of date. Today, the scholarly communication ecosystem is a high-stakes arena, a swirling vortex of multi-billion-dollar corporate publishers, fiercely independent university presses, unfunded activist researchers, and disruptive technology that’s … Read more