The editors of Learned Publishing has announced a call for submissions for a special themed issue set to be published in April 2025. The theme for this issue is “Beyond Traditional Scholarly Publishing: Reimagining Research Communication,” and aims to explore innovative methods for disseminating research in a rapidly evolving academic landscape.
With the traditional formats of journal articles and academic books serving as the bedrock of scholarly communication for decades, there is a growing need to rethink these approaches in light of new technological advancements and the diverse needs of today’s audiences. This special issue invites contributors to critically examine and propose novel methods of research dissemination that move beyond conventional structures.
Submissions are encouraged on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
• The role of preprints in accelerating the speed and openness of research dissemination.
• The significance of protocols and registered reports in enhancing transparency and reproducibility in research.
• Innovative formats such as multi-part publications that challenge traditional article and book structures.
• The value of datasets as standalone research outputs.
• The incorporation of digital features, including video abstracts, podcasts, infographics, and interactive data visualizations.
• The impact of multi-language publications on global research communication.
• Emerging platforms and technologies that facilitate new forms of scholarly communication.
• Audience-specific formats that tailor research outputs for varied audiences, including non-scholarly groups.
• Evaluation methods and metrics applicable to non-traditional research outputs.
• The challenges and opportunities that innovative publishing outputs present for current workflows and processes.
This themed issue seeks to foster dialogue around the future of scholarly communication, emphasizing the importance of accessibility, reproducibility, and impact in research dissemination. The journal welcomes a variety of submissions, including case studies, industry updates, original research, and opinion pieces from across the scholarly publishing spectrum.
Authors interested in contributing to this special issue should note that the submission deadline is December 2, 2024. For guidelines on article types and specific submission requirements, prospective authors can refer to the Author Guidelines available on the Learned Publishing website.
As part of its commitment to open access, Learned Publishing will transition from a hybrid model to Gold Open Access in 2025. Consequently, successful publication in this special issue will incur an article processing charge (APC). However, organizational members of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) will benefit from waived APCs.
For further inquiries regarding this themed issue, interested parties can reach out to the Editor, Laura Dormer, or North American Editor, Michelle Urberg.
This special issue represents a pivotal opportunity to shape the conversation around the future of research communication and contribute to the ongoing evolution of scholarly publishing.
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