Session GDB7

GDB7 | The future of scientific publishing – do we need scientific journals?

The future of scientific publishing – do we need scientific journals?

Convener: Eduardo Queiroz AlvesECSECS | Co-convener: Barbara Ervens

Tue, 05 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST)

Room E1

For several centuries, scientific journals have been the primary means for disseminating and validating scientific knowledge. They provide platforms for peer review, ensure long-term archiving, and often form rankings by which researchers are evaluated. However, the digital era opened new possibilities for faster and more interactive scientific publishing, though with different levels of rigor in scientific quality control, e.g., open access preprint servers, repositories and discussion forums with public peer review. At the same time, the pay-to-publish model led some commercial journal publishers to impose high article processing charges, prioritizing profit over quality, while the scientific quality assurance is performed by scientists. These developments raise fundamental questions: Should scientific journals remain essential in the evolving publishing landscape? To what extent can alternative publishing platforms complement or even replace them? What are advantages and limitations of different publishing models? How can publishing companies as service providers effectively support scientist-driven publishing in the future? In the debate, we will explore these questions and discuss the future of scientific publishing with a focus on transparency, cost efficiency and scientific integrity.
Confirmed panelists:
Ken Carslaw, Professor Univ Leeds, UK, co-founder of Atmos. Chem Phys. (EGU), the first interactive open access journal
Laurence El Khouri, Deputy Director of the Open Research data department (DDOR), CNRS, France
Martin Rasmussen, Managing Director Copernicus Publications, Göttingen, Germany
Ludo Waltman, Scientific director and professor of Quantitative Science Studies, Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, NL

10 min: Welcome and introduction by the conveners
10 min: Introductory statement by the panelists
45 min: Panel discussion
30 min: Questions from the audience
20 min: Concluding remarks by the panelists and conveners

The oral presentations are given in a hybrid format supported by a Zoom meeting featuring on-site and virtual presentations. The button to access the Zoom meeting appears just before the time block starts.