IOPP’s Antonia Seymour outlines why the publisher has joined forces with AIP Publishing and the American Physical Society (APS) to create the Purpose-Led Publishing coalition and argues this better serves their shared research communities...
Researchers today have an enormous variety of options when looking at where to publish their research, from well-established journals through to hundreds of new publications launched every year, through to open publishing platforms and preprint servers. Increasingly they also need to comply with open access funder mandates which makes it even harder for them to make their decisions about how and where to publish their research outputs.
When choosing the journal that is the best fit considerations include scope, reputation, audience reach, publication costs, community engagement and open-access policies. There’s also the question of where the funds made from publishing go.
The fact is that good publishing costs money. It takes a significant investment in time and resources to ensure rigorous and timely peer review processes, defend research integrity, increase article visibility and preserve the scholarly record. In an open access world where an author or an institution on their behalf, pays to publish, doing so with a not-for-profit publisher is a way to truly maximise research funding.
As three like-minded publishers in the field of physical sciences, APS, AIPP and IOPP created the Purpose-Led Publishing coalition with the ambition to better serve our shared communities. Our notfor- profit status is one of the key things that unites us: 100% of everything we make from publishing goes towards public and scientific good. In fact, one of the promises we have made as members of the coalition is that we will never relinquish that status.
Collectively, the funds we make from publishing support the physical science community globally through advocating and supporting physics innovation and R&D. Almost every modern-day technology has its origins in physics, transforming our understanding of the world and the way we live. A new wave of innovation enabled by physics is set to break, offering the potential of zero-carbon energy, new ways to diagnose and treat diseases, selfrepairing infrastructure and other benefits we cannot yet predict.
As physics societies we are advocates for physics and the people who work in the field. We are the voice to government bodies, funders and other relevant stakeholders to promote and support investment in physics. We also champion diversity in research and innovation, educational training and mentorship programmes, and awards and grants — all geared toward making science accessible and inclusive for everyone. By publishing with a Purpose-Led Publishing member, researchers are not only advancing knowledge through high quality, peer-reviewed journals, but also investing in the physical science community they are a part of.
100% of everything we make from publishing goes towards public and scientific good
Together, IOPP, APS and AIPP have more than 320 years of experience serving the same physical scientists. We see our coalition adding value by upholding rigorous integrity standards and taking down barriers for researchers to take part in the global research endeavour. It is about what we stand for, what differentiates us in terms of what we offer to the community.
To outline this, we have defined a set of industry standards that underpin high-quality, ethical scholarly communications (see left). These form the bedrock of Purpose-Led Publishing’s promise to the scientific community.
It’s still early days, but we’re looking forward to exploring what’s next. Our promise and commitment to always put purpose above profit will be central as we look at how our collective policies, processes and standards can benefit the physical scientific community.
Statement of intent
Seven key commitments underpin the publishing partnership
The Purpose-Led Publishing coalition promises:
To always:
- Invest 100% of our funds back into science
- Publish only the content that genuinely adds to scientific knowledge
- Ensure our terms are reasonable
- Put research integrity ahead of profit
- Admit our errors and set them right
We will never:
- Relinquish our not-for-profit status
- Have shareholders for whom we put profit above purpose
Antonia Seymour is chief executive of IOP Publishing (IOPP) and current president of the Publishers Association
