Ian Mulvany

May 5, 2024

What is it that we do, as publishers?



For me, the gloomiest part of the Critical Review is the finding that author behaviour has fundamentally not changed. Ninety per cent of the UK’s hybrid outputs are published by the top ten publishers, with the report stating “UK authors continue to choose traditional publishers to disseminate their research”

https://wonkhe.com/blogs/transitional-agreements-may-not-be-the-whole-route-to-open-access/

Something to think about in this short piece on OA in the UK. I’ve been involved in publishing for over 20 years, and have seen pretty much the entire machinery from almost every angle. I can tell you this, as publisher we are very customer focussed. 

I like OA, I believe in the potential for it, but I don’t think most researchers care. 

I also think that much of the work that publishers do, that benefits the ecosystem, is not understood. That’s for another post. 

About Ian Mulvany

Hi, I'm Ian - I work on academic publishing systems. You can find out more about me at mulvany.net. I'm always interested in engaging with folk on these topics, if you have made your way here don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything you want to share, discuss, or ask for help with!