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Call for papers: special issue on research assessment reform
The journal is now indexed in three additional databases
New open peer review option available to all authors
Editorial board welcomes six new members
Submission system upgrade scheduled for next month
Annual reviewer acknowledgement published
Data availability policy strengthened from January
Winner announced for the early-career research prize
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Research & Features
View all →Measuring the citation advantage of openly licensed datasets
Matching on discipline, venue and author seniority, we estimate the citation premium attributable to open data deposit and find it concentrated in the first thirty months. The…
Language bias in editorial desk rejection: evidence from a field audit
Manuscripts identical but for the author's stated affiliation country showed a measurable difference in desk-rejection probability. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
State of open infrastructure: the 2026 landscape report
An inventory of the services the research community depends on, their governance models and, in several cases, their alarmingly thin funding. The analysis draws on a corpus…
Reviewer workload distribution and its effect on turnaround time
A queueing model fitted to four years of editorial logs shows that a small minority of reviewers absorb a disproportionate share of requests. The analysis draws on a corpus…
Article processing charges: a five-year price trajectory
List prices rose faster than inflation in every discipline surveyed, with the steepest increases at the most selective titles. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
From bench to policy brief: a researcher on translating findings
She describes the craft of compressing five years of work into two pages a minister will actually read. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
"We stopped counting papers and started reading them": a dean on hiring reform
Three years after abolishing metric thresholds in recruitment, the faculty reports longer shortlisting but markedly better retention. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
An editor on saying no: desk rejection as an act of respect
After a decade in the chair, she argues that a fast, clear refusal serves authors better than a slow, hedged review. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Measuring the citation advantage of openly licensed datasets
Matching on discipline, venue and author seniority, we estimate the citation premium attributable to open data deposit and find it concentrated in the first thirty months. The…
Language bias in editorial desk rejection: evidence from a field audit
Manuscripts identical but for the author's stated affiliation country showed a measurable difference in desk-rejection probability. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
Persistent identifier coverage in the humanities: a gap analysis
Coverage lags the sciences by a wide margin, driven largely by monograph and edited-volume publishing that existing identifier schemes handle poorly. The analysis draws on a…
Reviewer workload distribution and its effect on turnaround time
A queueing model fitted to four years of editorial logs shows that a small minority of reviewers absorb a disproportionate share of requests. The analysis draws on a corpus…
Text and data mining permissions across two hundred journal policies
Policy language remains highly heterogeneous, and in a third of cases the stated permissions conflict with the licence attached to the articles themselves. The analysis draws on a…
Replication outcomes in applied economics over a fifteen-year window
Of 412 replication attempts, just over half reproduced the original direction and significance, with data availability the strongest predictor of success. The analysis draws on a…
"We stopped counting papers and started reading them": a dean on hiring reform
Three years after abolishing metric thresholds in recruitment, the faculty reports longer shortlisting but markedly better retention. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
A publisher's technical lead on retiring legacy systems
The migration took four years and touched every workflow; he explains what he would sequence differently. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
The statistician who reviews the numbers nobody checks
A conversation about specialist statistical review, why journals rarely fund it, and what it catches when they do. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Building a repository on a shoestring: lessons from a small institution
The librarian behind a widely copied deployment explains what to build, what to buy, and what to refuse outright. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
An editor on saying no: desk rejection as an act of respect
After a decade in the chair, she argues that a fast, clear refusal serves authors better than a slow, hedged review. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
From bench to policy brief: a researcher on translating findings
She describes the craft of compressing five years of work into two pages a minister will actually read. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
State of open infrastructure: the 2026 landscape report
An inventory of the services the research community depends on, their governance models and, in several cases, their alarmingly thin funding. The analysis draws on a corpus…
Research software citation practice: adoption and obstacles
Formal software citation remains rare outside computational fields, though metadata tooling has removed most technical barriers. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
Preservation readiness across four hundred scholarly repositories
Fewer than a third meet the baseline criteria for long-term preservation, and format migration planning is largely absent. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
Article processing charges: a five-year price trajectory
List prices rose faster than inflation in every discipline surveyed, with the steepest increases at the most selective titles. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
Who reviews for whom: mapping the global reviewer economy
Reviewer effort flows persistently from a broad base of institutions toward a narrow set of high-prestige journals. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Diversity of editorial leadership: a cross-disciplinary audit
Board composition has shifted measurably in the past five years, but editor-in-chief appointments have barely moved. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Perspectives & Opinion
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Commentary
Metrics literacy should be a condition of committee membership
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Multimedia & Resources
View all →Episode 41: The economics of the article processing charge
Two economists and a library director work through where the money actually goes, and who is cross-subsidising whom. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Episode 36: Open peer review, five years on
Journals that opened their reports discuss what changed — in tone, in length, and in who agreed to review. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Writing a data management plan that survives contact with reality
A ninety-minute practical session working from real funder templates, with the worked examples released afterwards. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Episode 40: What a data steward actually does all day
A frank account of the role, from metadata triage to the diplomacy of telling a professor their spreadsheet is unusable. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
Reviewing statistics when you are not a statistician
What a non-specialist reviewer can reasonably check, and the three questions that catch most problems. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Charted: the widening gap between submissions and reviewers
Two lines that have been diverging since 2016, and a projection that should worry every editor. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint…
Mapped: global growth in open access output, 2015 to 2026
An interactive atlas of open access share by country and discipline, with the underlying counts available for download. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Visualised: the reviewer flow between world regions
A chord diagram of who reviews for whom, revealing a pronounced and persistent asymmetry. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint…
Episode 41: The economics of the article processing charge
Two economists and a library director work through where the money actually goes, and who is cross-subsidising whom. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Episode 36: Open peer review, five years on
Journals that opened their reports discuss what changed — in tone, in length, and in who agreed to review. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Episode 38: Building search that researchers will actually use
A discovery-systems engineer on relevance ranking, and why citation count is a poor default sort order. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Episode 40: What a data steward actually does all day
A frank account of the role, from metadata triage to the diplomacy of telling a professor their spreadsheet is unusable. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from…
Episode 39: Retraction, correction and the space between
Three editors discuss the cases that do not fit either category, and how they decided. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint servers…
Episode 37: The long tail of research software
Who maintains the scripts a field depends on once the graduate student who wrote them has left? The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint…
Mapped: global growth in open access output, 2015 to 2026
An interactive atlas of open access share by country and discipline, with the underlying counts available for download. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Explorer: preservation status of the repositories you rely on
Search any repository and see its preservation commitments, audit status and funding horizon. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint…
Dataset: five years of article processing charge list prices
Prices for 6,400 journals, normalised to constant currency, released openly with full provenance notes. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Charted: how long peer review really takes
Distribution rather than mean: the tail is long, and the median conceals how bad the worst cases get. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Visualised: the reviewer flow between world regions
A chord diagram of who reviews for whom, revealing a pronounced and persistent asymmetry. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint…
Charted: the widening gap between submissions and reviewers
Two lines that have been diverging since 2016, and a projection that should worry every editor. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories, preprint…
Writing a data management plan that survives contact with reality
A ninety-minute practical session working from real funder templates, with the worked examples released afterwards. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Making your journal's website accessible
A practical clinic on the accessibility failures most common in scholarly publishing platforms, and how to fix them. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional…
Negotiating a transformative agreement: a consortium view
Two negotiators walk through a real deal, including the terms they conceded and the ones they refused. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Reviewing statistics when you are not a statistician
What a non-specialist reviewer can reasonably check, and the three questions that catch most problems. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Depositing code so that someone can actually run it
Environment capture, dependency pinning and the minimum documentation that makes a repository reusable. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
Handling allegations of image manipulation
A procedural walkthrough from first report to published notice, with attention to author due process. The analysis draws on a corpus assembled from institutional repositories…
News & Announcements
Call for papers: special issue on research assessment reform
2026-06-16
We invite submissions for a special issue examining how institutions are moving beyond journal-level metrics in hiring, promotion and funding decisions. Empirical studies and well-argued position pieces are equally welco
Read More →The journal is now indexed in three additional databases
2026-06-12
Following review, our content is now discoverable through three further abstracting and indexing services, extending reach particularly in Latin America and South-East Asia.
Read More →New open peer review option available to all authors
2026-06-08
Authors may now choose to have review reports published alongside the accepted article. Participation is voluntary and does not affect editorial decisions.
Read More →Editorial board welcomes six new members
2026-06-04
The incoming members bring expertise in research software engineering, science policy and the sociology of scientific knowledge, and broaden the board's regional balance.
Read More →Submission system upgrade scheduled for next month
2026-05-31
The platform will be unavailable for approximately six hours overnight. Drafts in progress will be preserved, and the new version adds ORCID auto-population.
Read More →Annual reviewer acknowledgement published
2026-05-27
Our thanks to the 840 reviewers who assessed manuscripts for the journal over the past year. The full list, with consent, is now available.
Read More →Data availability policy strengthened from January
2026-05-23
Deposit in a recognised repository becomes a condition of acceptance for empirical papers, replacing the previous availability-on-request wording.
Read More →Winner announced for the early-career research prize
2026-05-19
The prize recognises an outstanding first-authored contribution published in the journal during the preceding volume year.
Read More →Translated abstracts now published for every article
2026-05-15
Every article now carries an abstract in both journal languages, improving discoverability for readers searching in either.
Read More →Preservation agreement signed with a certified dark archive
2026-05-11
The agreement guarantees continued availability of the journal's content should the publisher cease operations.
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