Independent Thinking on Publishing's Future
Introduction Eugene Garfield created the Journal Impact Factor to help librarians choose journals, not to judge researchers, yet it became the most powerful number in academic careers. This article traces how that happened, how the metric has been gamed, what reformers and Clarivate itself have changed, and whether new forms of evaluation will finally loosen … Read more
Introduction Academic publishing runs on prestige as much as on knowledge: journal brands, impact factors and institutional names act as a currency that decides who gets published, cited and promoted. This article traces where that prestige economy came from, who profits from it, and whether open access, research-assessment reform and AI can loosen its grip. … Read more
Introduction Once upon a time, the idea of writing an entire book in a single day would have been met with laughter, eye-rolls, and possibly a wellness check. Fast-forward to 2025, and that notion no longer sounds absurd—thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence in content creation. In fact, it may be the next logical … Read more
Introduction Academic journal publishing has never been easy. But as we settle into 2025, what used to be slow-moving tectonic shifts have turned into a full-blown earthquake. Publishers, editors, and scholarly communication managers are grappling with open access mandates, AI-generated submissions, shrinking funding, and the ghost of predatory publishing. The peer review system groans under … Read more
Introduction At first glance, Substack looks like the messiah publishing never saw coming. It promises the holy trinity of modern content creation—autonomy, direct audience access, and cold, hard cash. For writers tired of gatekeepers, freelancers craving predictable income, and columnists itching to escape editorial red tape, Substack seems like the answer to a decades-old publishing … Read more