Tuesday, April 29, 2025
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EBSCO Information Services Launches EBSCO Discovery: Open Education to Reduce Costs and Expand Student Access

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) introduces EBSCO Discovery: Open Education, a powerful, centralized platform designed to streamline access to open-access e-books and journals and Open Educational Resources (OER). Built to help institutions reduce textbook costs and support educational equity, this solution empowers libraries and faculty to easily incorporate high-quality, freely licensed materials into courses while sustainably managing expenses and workflows.

The rising costs of education are creating significant gaps for underrepresented learners. EBSCO Discovery: Open Education bridges this gap by providing seamless access to high-quality, openly licensed resources, aligning with the mission of OER to advance affordable, accessible and equitable education for all student populations.

EBSCO Discovery: Open Education reflects EBSCO’s commitment to enhancing the library experience by optimizing workflows and promoting educational equity. Built on the enhanced EBSCO Discovery Service™ interface, it replaces Faculty Select (retiring August 31, 2025) as a more integrated and intuitive solution for centralized discovery of materials that will be free for students to access. Libraries can easily give their faculty a single place to search for and find content from top OER providers like OpenStax and Pressbooks and OA providers like DOAJ and JSTOR Open Community Collections, helping institutions meet evolving needs while saving students money.

EBSCO Information Services Senior Product Manager, SaaS, Heather White, MLS, draws on her experience as an OER librarian to highlight the challenges libraries and faculty face in making course materials accessible. “We know that students are more successful when they have immediate and affordable access to course materials,” says White. “OER is not just about free textbooks — it’s about empowering faculty to customize content, ensuring every student starts on equal footing, and creating sustainable solutions for libraries. This platform makes it easier to remove barriers to learning while supporting textbook affordability and equitable curricula.” 
 
EBSCO Information Services Vice President of Product Management, SaaS, Bonnie Leavitt emphasizes reducing educational costs while promoting equitable access to high-quality materials. “At a time when educational costs are one of the most significant barriers to student success, OER and OA content offer a practical and sustainable solution. EBSCO Discovery: Open Education supports libraries in driving open education initiatives forward, helping institutions provide affordable, high-quality resources that align with their mission of student success and retention.” 
 
EBSCO will showcase EBSCO Discovery: Open Education at the 2025 EBSCO User Group, which will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, from April 29 to May 1, 2025. Attendees will explore how the platform can help libraries advance open education initiatives and increase access to affordable, high-impact learning resources.

MyRMA Collaborates with Trinka AI to Offer AI Writing Assistance to 25+ Member Institutions Across Malaysia

The Malaysian Association of Research Managers and Administrators (MyRMA) announces a strategic partnership with Trinka AI, a leading AI-powered writing assistant specializing in academic and technical writing. This collaboration aims to provide all the 25+ member institutions under MyRMA with exclusive access to Trinka AI’s advanced tools at preferential rates to enhance the quality and efficiency of research outputs across Malaysia.

MyRMA, established to support and advance research management and administration in Malaysia, serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and best practices in various aspects of research management.

Trinka offers AI writing assistance and language enhancement tools tailored for academic and technical writing, assisting researchers in producing clear, concise, and professional documents to improve publication success.

Prof. Shukor bin Abdul Razak, President of MyRMA, stated, “Our collaboration with Trinka AI underscores our commitment to providing our members with access to cutting-edge AI tools that enhance research quality. This partnership will undoubtedly support our mission to elevate research standards across Malaysia.”

Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Tony O’Rourke Vice President of Partnership at Trinka AI, commented, “We are excited to partner with MyRMA to empower Malaysian research managers and administrators with cutting-edge AI writing tools to help them throughout their publication journey. By offering our AI-driven writing assistance, we aim to facilitate excellence in research communication and contribute to the global impact of Malaysian research.”

This collaboration reflects a shared dedication to advancing research quality and efficiency, providing MyRMA members with valuable resources to enhance their work.

Trinka AI continues to collaborate with numerous associations and universities worldwide, striving to advance the quality of academic and technical writing across the globe.

Click here to view the official statement.

For more information about Trinka AI and its offerings, visit www.trinka.ai

For more details about MyRMA and membership benefits, visit www.myrma.org

Norway’s Sikt Renews National Partnership with MDPI

MDPI, a leading open-access publisher, has announced the renewal of its national agreement with the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (Sikt). Through MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), 36 institutions will receive discounts on Article Processing Charges (APCs) across MDPI’s portfolio of more than 460 journals. The renewed agreement will remain in effect for one year.
Kristiania University of Applied Sciences is the latest institution to benefit from the agreement, joining existing partners such as the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Bergen, University of Oslo, and Norwegian School of Sport Science. This expansion highlights the growing collaboration between MDPI and leading Norwegian institutions, fostering stronger open-access networks at a national level and reinforcing their commitment to open science.

Institutions that utilize centralized funding will also be eligible for higher APC discounts, further lowering publishing costs and supporting more sustainable open access strategies. This approach encourages efficient fund management and maximizes the value of institutional investments in open science, positioning Norway as a leader in accessible, world-class research.

“As strong advocates for open access, we are proud to continue our collaboration with Sikt,” says Becky Castellon, institutional partnerships manager at MDPI. “This renewal affirms our shared commitment to supporting Norwegian scholars, ensuring their research reaches a wide audience. More than that, it reinforces Norway’s aims to provide open access to all publicly funded research. In 2023, 84% of Norwegian research outputs were published in open access. We welcome the opportunity to drive this transition to full open access, underscored by growing momentum for open science in Europe and beyond.”

Empowering Open Science: Preprints.org and PREreview Deepen Their Collaboration

Preprints.org, a multidisciplinary preprint platform by the leading fully open-access publisher MDPI, is strengthening its partnership with PREreview, a non-profit dedicated to promoting equity and transparency in research feedback. Thanks to a new type of integration, submitting authors can now request community feedback directly from PREreview with a single click on Preprints.org. This makes it easier to gather feedback and insights and, as a result, accelerate the route to publication.

Preprints.org and PREreview have long shared a commitment to breaking down the barriers in academic communication. Previously, authors were directed to PREreview’s website for feedback requests. With this new integration, made possible via the COAR Notify protocol, the process is now built into the Preprints.org dashboard, simplifying workflows and connecting researchers with the global community. 

“We have made requesting feedback easier than ever before,” says Lloyd Shu, product manager of MDPI’s Preprints.org. “Authors simply submit their preprint, select ‘Request PREreview’, and are notified when feedback becomes available, all in one platform. This streamlined process saves time and effort so authors can stay focused on their work. We are committed to delivering feedback promptly, helping authors continue their research with minimal disruption.”

Benefits for All: Empowering Every Researcher

Preprints.org’s PREreview platform offers significant benefits for both authors and reviewers. Authors can reach a broader, global audience, tapping into an extensive interdisciplinary community of active scholars for professional feedback. This early, valuable input helps refine research and strengthen findings before formal submission, thereby improving the quality of their work. 

PREreview offers reviewers the chance to sharpen critical thinking and academic writing skills while engaging with a global network of scholars. By contributing to open science, reviewers play an essential role in supporting fellow researchers. Each review is assigned a DOI, and activity can be linked to a researcher’s ORCID profile, enhancing visibility and recognition.

“We specialize in building community-driven, human-centric workflows that foster a kinder, more constructive, and open peer review process,” says Daniela Saderi, PhD, co-founder, and executive director of PREreview. “Through this integration, we will connect authors publishing on Preprints.org with a global network of experts committed to openly sharing constructive feedback. We are thrilled about this collaboration and excited to grow a worldwide community of contributors together.”

Future Vision: Reshaping the Future of Research through Open Collaboration

“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in advancing open science,” says Lloyd Shu, product manager of MDPI’s Preprints.org. “By simplifying the process and fostering a culture of openness, this partnership aims to create a more inclusive and dynamic research environment. Ultimately, this will accelerate the pace of scientific discovery while ensuring knowledge is freely and equitably shared.”

Further details and insights into the partnership are available in this new blog post.

Springer Nature’s 50% OA milestone

From Transformation to Collective Responsibility: What Does 50% OA Mean for Us?

In 2021, we set a bold target: publish 50% of our primary research open access (OA) by the end of 2024. This goal was driven by the need to make research widely accessible, enabling global researchers to build on existing knowledge and tackle pressing challenges.

I’m thrilled to report that we met this target, as highlighted in our recent Annual Report. But how did we do it, and what did we learn?

A sustainable and effective OA transition is achievable 

But there is no silver bullet; instead having a range of levers at your disposal is critical. At Springer Nature we have focused on the following:

  1. Transformative Agreements (TAs): Our 66 and growing global TAs support researchers from over 3,700 institutions and are driving the transition of our hybrid journals. In 2024, 82% of OA articles in our hybrid journals were published via TAs1. These agreements are also helping countries transition their research to OA, with some seeing up to a 70% uptake in OA publishing in the first year. TAs have proven to be a powerful tool in facilitating the OA transition, providing a structured and scalable approach that benefits both researchers and institutions.
  2. Full OA Journals: We launched 68 new full OA journals in 2024 2, which published 73% 3 of our OA primary research. This demonstrates the importance of full OA journals to the research community. Full OA journals offer a direct route to OA publishing, ensuring that research is immediately accessible to all. The growth of our full OA portfolio reflects the increasing demand for open access and the critical role these journals play in the dissemination of knowledge.
  3. Innovative Models: Our Cureus portfolio introduced three new journals allowing free OA publishing for well-drafted submissions, with a low editing fee for others. This model increases accessibility and affordability, opening OA publishing to a wider audience, including non-academics. By offering flexible publishing options, we can cater to a diverse range of authors and ensure that high-quality research is accessible to all, regardless of financial constraints.
  4.  

Pace and Scale is important 

Pace and scale are crucial for a global open environment. For instance, our TA in Japan expanded from 10 to 60 universities in two years, publishing over 2,400 OA articles. This rapid expansion highlights the effectiveness of TAs in driving OA adoption and the importance of tailoring agreements to local contexts. By pooling resources, adapting to specific needs, and fostering collaboration, TAs are making significant strides toward a future where all research is accessible to everyone.

We also saw significant uptake in the US, with new institutions and consortia partnering with us in 2024. The US market is now showing strong support for OA, and our partnerships are helping to accelerate the transition. Additionally, we are building OA teams in China and India to reflect the growth in research outputs in these countries. These teams are working closely with institutions and funders locally to make the transition affordable, simple, and scalable.

Technology and AI can help

To accelerate the next phase of the transition, we’re investing strongly in technology and AI, with a particular focus on making the research process and publishing easier for authors, whilst also ensuring we continue to protect the integrity and trust of research. Our peer review platform, Snapp, exemplifies this commitment. By harnessing technology responsibly and ethically, we can better integrate tools to support open research practices and scale OA publication.

Technology and AI offer exciting opportunities to streamline the publishing process, enhance the quality of research, and improve accessibility. For example, AI-driven tools can assist with manuscript preparation, peer review, and data analysis, making it easier for authors to publish their work and for readers to access and understand it. Our investment in these technologies is aimed at creating a more efficient and transparent research ecosystem.

More to do to make the transition equitable

Reaching 50% OA is a milestone, but there’s more to do for a sustainable, equitable OA transition. Despite progress from publishers, including Springer Nature, with for example APC waivers and regional pricing pilots, equity in OA publishing is not where it should be. Collaboration across publishers, researchers, funders, and institutions is needed to break down barriers to access and participation with ongoing efforts required to address disparities in access to funding, resources, and support. By working together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable research environment.

Looking Ahead

Our commitment to OA does not stop here. We are dedicated to working with global partners to break down barriers to full participation and representation of all researchers in the research publishing system. As the theme of this year’s B17 conference suggests, transformation rests on the shoulders of many, not the few.

The journey to 50% OA has taught us valuable lessons about the importance of collaboration, innovation, and adaptability. As we look to the future, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of open access and ensuring that research is accessible to all. By continuing to invest in technology, support diverse publishing models, and foster global partnerships, we can build a more open and equitable research ecosystem.

1Springer Nature data. % are worked as a % of the total OA primary research articles published in hybrid journals across 2024.

2 Springer Nature data. Total publication numbers relate only to primary research published OA across the Publisher’s portfolio in

2024.

3 OA primary research published in full OA journals but not under a TA.

ResearchGate and Tsinghua University Press expand Journal Home partnership

ResearchGate, the professional network for researchers, and Tsinghua University Press (TUP), the leading university press in China, has announced an expansion of its Journal Home partnership, which was the first of its kind with a Chinese publisher last year. This expansion more than doubles TUP’s coverage, now including 11 open access titles. 

Since 1980, TUP has maintained a strong presence in China’s higher education, science, and technology sectors. The expanded partnership will increase the visibility of 10,000+ research articles, spanning nano research, AI, computing, engineering and life science through Journal Home’s advanced visibility features and insights. Benefits include: 

  • Greater brand visibility, with dedicated journal profile pages that feature key content and journal branding across article pages, to attract and retain authors and drive engagement. 
  • Streamlined author support, where articles are automatically added to authors’ profiles, with valuable insights into readership and citation activity, ensuring authors have the tools to engage with international readers. 
  • Strengthened engagement with authors, driving continuous interaction and involvement throughout the publishing lifecycle, growing new authors, and improving author retention and loyalty. 
  • Article content made immediately available to ResearchGate’s active community of 25+ million researchers, providing new opportunities for authors to reach a wider audience. 
  • In-depth analytics showing the impact of each journal through Journal Home’s unique insights, offering a comprehensive view of readership and author communities. 

“Expanding our Journal Home partnership reflects TUP’s dedication to advancing academic excellence and supporting global collaboration through knowledge sharing,” said Lei Shi, Director of the Journal Publishing Center at TUP. “Our collaboration has already resulted in the broader reach of our journals, and deeper engagement. We’re delighted to harness ResearchGate’s valuable network to drive innovation for this expanded portfolio and create a lasting impact in the academic community.” 

“We’re excited to expand our Journal Home partnership with Tsinghua University Press, which will bring even greater visibility and access to their journals,” said Sören Hofmayer, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at ResearchGate. “Journal Home has helped TUP to significantly grow its reach and impact both in China and globally, building international communities around their journals. We’re thrilled to see our partnership go from strength to strength.” 

Visit Tsinghua University Press journals on ResearchGate: 

Nano Research 

Friction 

Computational Visual Media 

Tsinghua Science and Technology 

Big Data Mining and Analytics 

Food Science and Human Wellness 

Journal of Advanced Ceramics 

Nano Research Energy 

Energy Materials and Devices 

Journal of Intelligent Construction 

CAAI Artificial Intelligence Research 

For more information about Journal Home, please visit researchgate.net/journal-home    

For more information about ResearchGate, please visit www.researchgate.net     

For more information about TUP, please visit http://www.tup.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/index.html

Delta Think – Author/Researcher Survey: Impact of Potential Funding Reductions on Research, Publishing, and Conference Attendance

Delta Think is currently spearheading an industry market research survey to authors and researchers across the scholarly community designed to provide insight into the impact of potential US federal funding reductions on their research. The survey addresses topics such as publication volume, their ability/allowance for peer review, conference participation and attendance, influence on their research scope and topics, and more. 

Working in collaboration with nearly 20 scholarly societies, we are launching this initiative to capture the real-world impact of these potential changes in order to help societies better plan and support their members, researchers, and authors. The results of the survey will provide scholarly publishers with systematic, quantitative voice-of-market data to inform evidenced-based strategy development and scenario planning in a rapidly changing funding landscape and policy environment. 

The survey opens this week, with each participating society distributing the link to their own communities. All participating societies will receive an in-depth analysis of the full survey results, filtered by various demographics such as country, career stage, and discipline, as well as options for Delta Think to analyze their specific community data or the raw data from their specific community so they can analyze it themselves. Delta Think has designed the survey and will conduct all the analysis of the results. 

Are you participating? It’s not too late! There’s still time to include additional societies, so please contact us at info@deltathink.com asap if you would like to discuss your organization’s participation.

The Value of Market and Customer Insight

This Author/Researcher Survey is a logical and natural extension of our work. Delta Think consultants specialize in uncovering evidence for our clients, discovering what that evidence means for them, and using the knowledge gained to build customer-driven, actionable business and publishing strategies. Through the expert utilization of innovative and creative market research techniques and analysis, we are committed to doing our part in support of the scholarly communication community, putting our ideas into action.

Microbiology Society launches new journal Microbiology Outlooks

At the Microbiology Society, our vision is a world in which the science of microbiology provides maximum benefit to society. Reflecting the vast diversity of microbes, the wide array of fields of microbiology research intersect with many other disciplines across the natural and social sciences.

Our understanding of microbiology and its application is imperative for tackling some of the greatest challenges facing humanity, from the threat of emerging diseases and antimicrobial resistance, to food security and the energy transition. We recognise that these challenges cannot be tackled without cooperation and that microbiology research must be strong, diverse, and vibrant to do so.

In the 80 years since its founding by visionary microbiologists including Alexander Fleming and Marjory Stephenson, the Society has bought together groups of microbiologists for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

This founding ethos remains central to our work today, and we are launching a new journal – Microbiology Outlooks – to help realise the Society’s vision by facilitating discussion and collaboration between researchers across all disciplines of microbiology, policymakers, and practitioners, so that our growing understanding of microbes can be applied in ways that bring public benefit and impact to society as a whole.

Joiningour six established and successful titles, Microbiology Outlooks will publish authoritative reviews and forward-looking perspectives across the breadth of microbiology. Published articles will provide timely overviews of important topics and discuss the direction of future research and the wider impact of the science of microbiology and its application. While most articles may be commissioned, we welcome concept proposals for reviews, perspectives, and commentaries for further consideration.

The Microbiology Society’s President, Professor Gordon Dougan FRS, said: “The launch of Microbiology Outlooks further demonstrates the success of our portfolio as home to a huge variety of research from across the breadth of microbiology and virology, all rigorously peer reviewed and edited by experts in our community. Whatever your specialty and whatever your career stage, the Microbiology Society welcomes your research in one of its journals.

What is exciting about Microbiology Outlooks is how it will increase the impact that the science of microbiology can have in society by publishing overviews of important topics and discussing the direction of future research.

With the launch of Microbiology Outlooks, the Society is growing its portfolio, and as a not-for-profit publisher, this means it can further invest in the microbiology community. By submitting to our titles, you have provided vital support for us to provide events, grants, and professional development for microbiologists at all career stages.”

Clarivate Expands its Academic AI Platform, Introducing Agentic AI for Research and Learning

Clarivate, a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced the expansion of its Academic AI Platform, helping institutions harness agentic AI to accelerate productivity, save time for researchers, students and staff, and engage users in the digital environments they already use. Beginning in April 2025, Clarivate will introduce AI Agents to support key academic workflows. As part of this expansion, we are initiating the development of an Agent Builder and community-driven AI tools, supported by a Development Partner Program set to launch in 2025.

As the Academic AI Platform evolves, it continues to focus on academic needs and be guided by the Clarivate AI principles, keeping integrity and human oversight at the center of decision-making.

AI Agents: Going beyond generative AI

AI Agents, powering the next wave of AI innovation, are advanced software programs capable of reasoning, planning, and taking actions to achieve specific goals. They integrate contextual understanding, decision-making, and iterative learning, enabling to accomplish complex multi-step tasks across multiple data sources through a single point of interaction. While generative AI excels at producing text and answering queries in a transactional manner, AI Agents go further by proactively guiding workflows, facilitating nuanced conversations, and executing actions.

Clarivate brings AI Agents into academia through the Academic AI Platform, building upon its suite of AI-powered research, analytics and metadata assistants introduced in 2024 and already adopted by over 3,000 institutions. Purpose-built AI Agents leverage curated data and workflow tools from Clarivate, enabling librarians, administrators, academics, and students to achieve more with greater efficiency and precision while ensuring academic values remain central. 

Clarivate is working toward developing a portfolio of pre‑built AI agents. The first series of AI Agents will include:

  • Literature review: Guiding researchers through the literature review process by optimizing queries, retrieving and analyzing data from data sources, and summarizing key insights. The agent will simplify what is often a labor-intensive and time-consuming process of synthesizing literature to help researchers identify themes, gaps and hot topics. It will launch on April 10, 2025 through the Web of Science Research Assistant.
  • Research Intelligence: Web of Science Research Intelligence will provide powerful analytics for university leaders and research managers to support data-driven decision-making. AI agents will address core priorities such as connecting researchers with potential collaborators, providing comparative insights into research performance, and matching researchers with relevant funding opportunities. These AI agents will be available to Web of Science Research Intelligence development partners and early adopters by August 2025.

Agent Builder: A flexible development environment requiring little to no coding expertise

In addition to the pre-built AI agents, Clarivate is initiating the development of an Agent Builder—a flexible environment that enables institutions to create, customize and deploy their own AI-powered tools. The new Agent Builder will democratize the creation of AI agents and will help institutions reach users where they are, such as by integrating AI into institutional and library portals, learning and discovery services, and other environments.

To simplify the development process, the Agent Builder will include capabilities such as a prompt builder, workflow orchestration, and system connectors, making it easier for institutions to implement AI solutions without extensive technical expertise. Institutions will be able to integrate Clarivate curated content sources and software solutions into their AI agents as well as their local data sources and applications through an intuitive low-code/no-code conversational interface. These same tools will power the development of Clarivate pre-built AI Agents, ensuring a seamless and scalable approach across the platform.

Community-built AI tools

Libraries have long thrived on collaboration—and AI should be no different. The Clarivate Academic AI Platform will offer new opportunities to support that tradition, enabling institutions to contribute, share and build on each other’s AI solutions. With community-built templates, workflows, and tools libraries can accelerate development together and ensure that AI solutions evolve in ways that reflect their academic priorities.

Oren Beit-Arie, senior vice president of Strategy & Innovation at Clarivate, said: “With the expansion of the Clarivate Academic AI Platform, we’re introducing AI Agents and the Agent Builder to foster a collaborative ecosystem where institutions can develop, refine, and share AI-powered solutions built on curated content. This approach builds on past community-led innovation—such as Cloud Apps and the Developer Network—ensuring that AI supports institutional priorities. By working together, we can shape AI in ways that are transparent, responsible, and deeply aligned with academic values.”

To accelerate innovation and adoption of the Academic AI Platform, Clarivate is introducing a Development Partner Program, inviting academic libraries to co-create and refine AI-driven solutions. To learn more or explore partnership opportunities, contact the Clarivate Academic AI group.

Sweden’s Bibsam Consortium Renews Partnership with MDPI

MDPI, the world’s largest fully open-access publisher, today announced the renewal of its national partnership agreement with Sweden’s Bibsam Consortium. Notably, 22 institutions will receive partner benefits under MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), including substantial discounts on article processing charges (APCs) for affiliated authors.

Leading institutions including the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Linnaeus University, Linköping University, and Stockholm University will continue to be part of the agreement. This commitment reflects their shared dedication to advancing research excellence and fostering international collaboration. Most importantly, through their ongoing participation, partners of MDPI’s membership program help to drive ground-breaking innovations that address both local and global challenges.

By centrally funding APCs, institutions can receive additional discounts, offering crucial support to their researchers while simplifying the publication process. This approach helps reduce administrative burdens on researchers while fostering a streamlined route to publication. The renewed agreement between MDPI and the Bibsam Consortium enhances researchers’ ability to share their work on a global scale, strengthening Sweden’s role in the open-access movement and solidifying the country’s leadership in pioneering, impactful research.

“With robust backing from national open science guidelines, Sweden’s open-access landscape is rapidly advancing,” says Becky Castellon, institutional partnerships manager at MDPI. “In fact, fewer than 15% of all Swedish research outputs were locked behind paywalls in 2023. We are passionate about the positive impact our ongoing partnership with the Bibsam Consortium will have on Swedish research, paving the way for ground-breaking developments and a more inclusive, open scientific community. Through flexible solutions and tailored policies, we enable institutions to prioritize research, foster innovation, and enhance accessibility, driving the shift to full open access.”

Taylor & Francis celebrates 15 years of unique scheme supporting researchers in resource-constrained countries

STAR gives researchers and authors in over 100 countries free access to journal articles

Global research publisher Taylor & Francis is marking 15 years of STAR (Special Terms for Authors and Researchers). This important initiative helps individual researchers who are not currently affiliated with an institution or research organization by providing access to the latest research.

While an increasing proportion of new research is now published open access, STAR ensures subscription articles are also available to scholars in resource-constrained regions. Unique to Taylor & Francis, the STAR voucher scheme supports researchers in over 100 countries through free access to journals and engagement around their research and authoring journeys.

The initiative has benefitted a broad range of researchers lacking access to the resources of a university or research institution, including independent researchers, retired academics, and professionals working for NGOs.

STAR enables authors in these regions who are writing papers to update references and enrich their findings, which may result in higher levels of article acceptance and greater contribution to the global knowledge community.

Taylor & Francis is currently inviting researchers whose work has benefited from STAR access over the last 15 years to share their experience through a new survey.

Elizabeth Olayiwola, a researcher in Nigeria, said: “As a scholar from an under-resourced region, I dreamed of contributing my voice to global scholarship. STAR became a crucial resource in making that dream a reality, providing me with access to top-tier articles. Today, as a published author in one of the leading journals, Journal of African Cultural Studies, I reflect on my journey with gratitude. STAR played a transformative role in my career, helping me evolve from a voiceless scholar to a confident and visible contributor to academic discourse.”

Catherine Hodgson, Sustainability Manager at Taylor & Francis, explained: “STAR is a key element of our commitment to fostering an inclusive research environment. The scheme has helped more than six thousand researchers since its launch and we look forward to supporting many more around the world in the years to come.”

STAR is one of a number of development initiatives supported by Taylor & Francis. Partnerships with Research4Life and the NLM’s Emergency Access Initiative help scholars in the Global South to access essential research. Authors are also supported during their publishing journey through the Rising Scholars (formerly AuthorAID) mentoring network, open access publishing charge discounts and waivers, and a wide range of Taylor & Francis training workshops and author services.

New research integrity AI tool added to Springer Nature’s growing portfolio

A new AI tool to identify irrelevant references in submitted manuscripts has been launched for use across Springer Nature’s journals and books.  The tool is the latest AI-driven tool that has been developed in-house at Springer Nature to weed out problematic submissions and ensure the veracity of the publication record. 

The tool will be used by Springer Nature’s Research Integrity Group (RIG) to assess submissions to almost all journals and books published by Springer Nature, analysing the relevance of each reference used. If a number of references are identified as irrelevant, the submission will be flagged to RIG who will manually check the manuscript and decide whether the submission should be withdrawn.

The irrelevant reference checker tool has undergone multiple rounds of testing and validation to ensure it provides a precise and reliable assessment of references across academic disciplines, and training and development of the tool will be ongoing.  Human oversight will always remain in place, in line with Springer Nature’s AI Principles. 

Chris Graf, Director of Research Integrity at Springer Nature, commented: “As the use of AI to generate fake research papers becomes more effective, reference checking provides a key opportunity to identify these unethical efforts.  The addition of this tool to our existing checks will help us to catch many unethical submissions that would otherwise progress to take up editors’ and peer reviewers’ time.”

The launch of the irrelevant reference checker tool comes just ten months after the launch of two other AI tools to detect problematic submissions that Springer Nature has developed in-house.  The first, Geppetto, supports the identification of papers that contain AI-generated fake content, the second, SnappShot, those that contain problematic images. 

Graf added: “Fake research is a challenge that affects the entire publishing industry and is something that Springer Nature will not tolerate.  From creating AI tools, to building a now 50-strong expert research integrity unit, to developing our employees’ and editors’ expertise through training, we are absolutely committed to ensuring the robustness of published research for researchers to build upon.”

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