{"id":51122,"date":"2025-07-08T18:56:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T12:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/?p=51122"},"modified":"2025-07-08T18:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T12:56:20","slug":"science-led-publishing-advance-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/science-led-publishing-advance-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Toward Science-Led Publishing: How realigning publishing could advance science"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The following is a summary of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/leap.2012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\"><em>Toward Science-Led Publishing<\/em><\/a><em> by Damian Pattinson and George Currie.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The way we communicate and evaluate research today is largely dependent on a heavily-commercialized publishing industry. An industry with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/495426a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">profit margins up to 50%<\/a>, just five publishers control <a href=\"https:\/\/scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org\/2023\/10\/30\/quantifying-consolidation-in-the-scholarly-journals-market\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">over 60% of the market<\/a>. Whether funded by APCs or subscriptions, journals are built to compete, grow, and maximize profit. Regardless of stated mission or purpose, most scholarly publishing operates and must compete within this same system.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/science-led-publishing-advance-research\/#What_is_Science-Led_Publishing\" >What is Science-Led Publishing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/science-led-publishing-advance-research\/#Accelerating_Progress\" >Accelerating Progress<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/science-led-publishing-advance-research\/#Collaboration_not_Competition\" >Collaboration not Competition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/science-led-publishing-advance-research\/#Openness_and_Equity\" >Openness and Equity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/science-led-publishing-advance-research\/#Its_Within_Our_Reach\" >It&#8217;s Within Our Reach<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Science-Led_Publishing\"><\/span>What is Science-Led Publishing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Science-led publishing prioritizes the needs of science in research communication and evaluation. Necessarily, it prioritizes speed, fairness, transparency, and continuous improvement. Despite huge advances in communications technology, the core practice of research publishing\u2014submission, review, publication\u2014operates just as it did in print. Science-led publishing instead embraces digital infrastructure that allows open, iterative sharing, review, and revision.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, today\u2019s system, \u201cpublishing-led science\u201d, tends to be shaped by commercial pressures and prestige metrics, rewarding what is profitable or advantageous, not necessarily rigorous or useful science.<\/p>\n<p>This drives behaviors like publication bias, inflated claims, and sheer volume over quality. Because careers, funding, and reputations are tied to publications, researchers must often prioritize journal requirements and expectations over scientific integrity.<\/p>\n<h3>Key Issues in Publishing-led Science<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Publication <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PII0140-6736(91)90201-Y\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"broken_link\">bias toward positive results in <\/a>higher likelihood of: (1) publication, (2) greater number of publications, and (3) publication in journals with high impact factors<\/li>\n<li>Interesting results are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.abd1705\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">favored over reliable results<\/a> and may face less scrutiny by reviewers and editors<\/li>\n<li>Journal revenue is dependent on article volume in APC-model publishing creating a conflict of interest for journals as gatekeepers of the scholarly record<\/li>\n<li>Journal cascades are an admission that supposedly lesser-quality research isn\u2019t filtered out, it is <a href=\"https:\/\/scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org\/2010\/10\/12\/cascading-peer-review-future-of-open-access\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">redirected to other journals within a portfolio<\/a> to avoid lost revenue<\/li>\n<li>The increasing volume of publications is <a href=\"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/qss\/article\/5\/4\/823\/124269\/The-strain-on-scientific-publishing\" class=\"broken_link\">increasing demands on researchers<\/a> as authors, editors, and reviewers<\/li>\n<li>APC-pricing appears to <a href=\"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/qss\/article\/1\/1\/6\/15582\/Article-processing-charges-Mirroring-the-citation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">increase as citation impact increases,<\/a> yet when other measures are accounted for there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1931720418302617?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">little correlation between cost and eventual impact<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But these issues are not contained within the publication end of research. These pressures filter backwards through to research decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Pressure to publish distorts <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0010271#s3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">how science is conducted and presented<\/a>, whether or not <a href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/preprints\/osf\/uwt3b_v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">all results are included<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosbiology\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pbio.1002106#sec010\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">how it is analyzed<\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10997-023-09667-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">what questions are investigated<\/a> in the first place. These pressures also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jclinepi.com\/article\/S0895-4356(24)00305-6\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">create demand for papermill research,<\/a> where authorship is bought and sold. Because publication is <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3999612\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">of great importance to research and researcher assessment, research funding, and research careers<\/a>, it impacts the very livelihoods of researchers. This, unfortunately, is a strong incentive for researchers to work towards goals that facilitate publication, not necessarily those that align with good science.<\/p>\n<p>Publishers, through influence over editorial infrastructure and journal gatekeeping, have gained significant control over what science is valued and how. Disputes between editors and publishers highlight a growing tension, especially with regard to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/open-access-editors-resign-after-alleged-pressure-publish-mediocre-papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">pressures to accept more papers<\/a> due to APC revenue, with mass resignations increasingly common.<\/p>\n<p>Our current system is also slow. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/publication-support-services\/peer-review-process\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"115\" title=\"Peer Review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peer review<\/a> takes a long time\u2013especially if we expect it to be done well by the right experts\u2013with little evidence. However, when research is rejected after this process, the time, as well as the contributions of peer reviewers are often wasted entirely. As a result, the current<span style=\"text-transform: initial;\">\u00a0system has a negative impact on the research endeavor: distorting it, dictating it, and slowing it down.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Accelerating_Progress\"><\/span>Accelerating Progress<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Science-led publishing prioritizes fast, open communication of research. It embraces preprints as the industry standard, reducing publication delays and enabling free, immediate access for authors and readers.<\/p>\n<h3>Does Peer Review Improve Research?<\/h3>\n<p>Though peer-reviewed articles are often seen as more reliable and peer review can help improve papers, studies show that <a href=\"https:\/\/elifesciences.org\/articles\/45133\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">the majority of preprints are later published<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00799-018-0234-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">only minor changes<\/a>. This suggests <a href=\"https:\/\/researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s41073-020-00101-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">preprints are comparable to journal articles<\/a> in terms of quality and trustworthiness.<\/p>\n<p>Preprints that don\u2019t eventually get published in journals may not indicate lesser quality but a difference in socio-economic conditions. Research from low-income countries is less likely to make it from preprint to journal and there are <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0281659\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">many systemic barriers<\/a> that may be behind this trend. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/publication-support-services\/compare-packages.htm\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"23\" title=\"journal publication\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Journal publication<\/a> may not be a filter for quality, but a filter for privilege.<\/p>\n<p>So, are preprints any less valuable than journal articles? Healthy skepticism should be the default position when reading any research claim but the delays don\u2019t appear to be worth the supposed change in quality.<\/p>\n<h3>Does Peer Review Validate Research?<\/h3>\n<p>Critics of preprinting might argue that improving ideas is only one function of peer review; that peer review also serves to validate research, and by extension filter out research that shouldn\u2019t be validated.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, peer review functions more to serve journals as brands than as collected voices of a research community. Journal cascades are the industry\u2019s admission that filtering out isn\u2019t the point. Instead peer review stratifies research based on perceived novelty, impact, or conformity to norms; brand values, or euphemistically, \u201cJournal fit\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Under the APC model, journals revenues are tied to publications rather than exclusivity, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-023-03974-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">the growth of retractions<\/a> highlights the damage of this conflict of interest.<\/p>\n<p>As publishing shifts from exclusivity to volume-based profit models, peer review\u2019s role as a gatekeeper is under pressure. The true value of peer review lies not in filtering publications, but in contributing to an open and constructive dialogue that helps improve our scholarly record and is a visible part of it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Collaboration_not_Competition\"><\/span>Collaboration not Competition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Science-led publishing redefines the relationship between authors, editors, and reviewers into the one of collaboration rather than control.<\/p>\n<h3>Validation and\/or feedback<\/h3>\n<p>In traditional peer review, reviewers are asked to both improve and judge a paper. This creates pressure: authors may feel obliged to implement suggestions they don\u2019t agree with to secure acceptance. Given how much depends on publication this dynamic can further distort the process.<\/p>\n<p>Removing the threat of rejection and giving authors more control enables peer review to focus on contributions to science rather than protecting journal brand status. Reviewers are free to give thoughtful feedback, authors are free to select which parts they are willing and able to act on, and editors support the process.<\/p>\n<p>Decoupling review from acceptance creates a more transparent, fair, and constructive system. Authors gain security and control and peer review becomes part of an article\u2019s visible history, rather than an invisible part of the publication process.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Openness_and_Equity\"><\/span>Openness and Equity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Science-led publishing prioritizes transparency by making research freely available, encouraging open sharing of data to aid reproducibility and transparent peer reviews to foster dialogue, and preserve valuable scholarly contributions.<\/p>\n<h3>Open Access, greater sharing and transparency<\/h3>\n<p>Despite growth in open-access publishing, around half of research is still paywalled. If the goal is to accelerate and advance knowledge discovery, the ability to access relevant research should be a basic expectation rather than a question, especially not a question of means.<\/p>\n<p>APC-funded Open Access has helped increase access for readers but it has created new inequities in who can share their research and where. While APC waivers help address this, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oaspa.org\/news\/oaspas-forthcoming-recommendations-to-increase-equity-in-open-access-the-story-of-how-we-got-here-and-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">it is not equitable<\/a>. Greater recognition of preprints as worthy research outputs in their own right would help address these inequities as preprints are free for authors to publish and for readers to access.<\/p>\n<p>As access and transparency grow, fostering a research culture more open to scrutiny, debate, and full visibility of research outputs is both necessary and desirable.<\/p>\n<h3>Transparent Peer Review<\/h3>\n<p>While peer review is not shared publicly, much of the benefit it could bring is wasted. Not only when the process ends in rejection but the value it could have in informing future debate. The labor <a href=\"https:\/\/researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s41073-021-00118-2\">cost of peer review is estimated to be in the multi-billion dollars<\/a>. At best we are not realizing its full potential, and at worst we are completely squandering valuable scientific discourse.<\/p>\n<p>Making reviews part of the scholarly record and inextricably linking them to articles would reduce the cost caused by repetition of peer review and share the value of that work with readers, editors and future reviewers. Transparency also embeds accountability into what is currently an opaque system.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_Within_Our_Reach\"><\/span>It&#8217;s Within Our Reach<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While publishers take the role of gatekeepers, validators, and amplifiers of research, and control the flow of academia\u2019s prime commodity: the publication, the relationship between science and publishing is one with significant conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n<p>We have the tools and infrastructure to reform scholarly communication to better serve science by using existing technologies, repurposing current practices, and making participation more accessible and equitable.<\/p>\n<p>It is a choice, and it is within our reach!<\/p>\n<h6><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong> The opinions\/views expressed in this article exclusively represent the individual perspectives of the author. While we affirm the value of diverse viewpoints and advocate for the freedom of individual expression, we do not endorse derogatory or offensive comments against any caste, creed, race, or similar distinctions. For any concerns or further information, we invite you to contact us at academy@enago.com<\/h6>\n<div style=\"display:flex; gap:10px;justify-content:\" class=\"wps-pgfw-pdf-generate-icon__wrapper-frontend\">\n\t\t<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51122?action=genpdf&amp;id=51122\" class=\"pgfw-single-pdf-download-button\" ><img data-src=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-generator-for-wp\/admin\/src\/images\/PDF_Tray.svg\" title=\"Generate PDF\" style=\"width:auto; height:45px;\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is a summary of Toward Science-Led Publishing by Damian Pattinson and George Currie.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11839,"featured_media":51139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926],"tags":[1614,1889],"ppma_author":[1953],"class_list":["post-51122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thought-leadership","tag-guest-post","tag-publishing"],"better_featured_image":{"id":51139,"alt_text":"Science-Led Publishing: Realigning to Advance Research | Enago","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":910,"height":340,"file":"2025\/07\/FeatureImages-83.png","filesize":340097,"sizes":{},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":51122,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/FeatureImages-83.png"},"acf":{"faq_main_heading":"","faq_heading_one":"","faq_heading_two":"","faq_heading_three":"","faq_heading_four":"","faq_heading_five":"","faq_heading_six":"","faq_description_one":"","faq_description_two":"","faq_description_three":"","faq_description_four":"","faq_description_five":"","faq_description_six":""},"views":225,"single_webinar_page_date":null,"single_webinar_page_time":null,"session_agenda":null,"who_should_attend_this_session":null,"about_the_speaker_field":null,"co-webinar-sec":null,"co_webinar_sec_one":null,"speaker-name":null,"webinar-date":null,"webinar-time":null,"webinar-s-image":null,"custum_webinar_category":null,"authors":[{"term_id":1953,"user_id":11839,"is_guest":0,"slug":"georgecurrie","display_name":"George Currie","avatar_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/georgecurrie_avatar-96x96.png","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"Currie","first_name":"George","job_title":"","description":"George is Content Manager at eLife Sciences Publications. He joined eLife in 2023 to help communicate the need for Open Science and alternative models of publishing. He previously worked at Oxford University Press where he developed Open Access author value propositions, and as Brand Manager at Hindawi where he gained a deep understanding of the systems and challenges in research and research publishing. He cares about fairer systems, research integrity, and public understanding of science."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11839"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51122"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51140,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51122\/revisions\/51140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51122"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=51122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}