Springer Nature has released its first annual report as a public company, outlining progress in open access publishing, AI-driven support for authors, and investments in research integrity. The report follows the company's strong financial performance announced on March 18, reinforcing its commitment to improving research visibility, accessibility, and trustworthiness while delivering greater value for customers.
Key highlights from the 2024 report include:
• Expansion of open access publishing, with 50% of primary research articles published as OA.
• Enhanced AI-driven publishing support, with over 90 AI initiatives assisting 2.3 million submissions and 482,000 published articles.
• Improved cost efficiency, reflected in a 37% reduction in the average cost per download since 2019.
• Increased research visibility, with content downloads rising to 3.7 billion (an 18% increase from 2023) and citations per article up 4% to 5.2.
• Strengthened research integrity, through the deployment of AI tools such as Geppetto and SnappShot to identify problematic articles, alongside the expansion of a dedicated research integrity team to 50 specialists.
• Environmental impact reduction, with a 50% decrease in total carbon emissions since 2019 and the opening of energy-efficient offices.
• Growth in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-related publishing, surpassing one million SDG-related articles and book chapters, with more than half of them published OA.
Springer Nature has also expanded its global engagement initiatives. In the U.S., the company continued its Science on the Hill outreach, bringing policymakers and scientists together to discuss topics such as space debris. In India, it launched a nationwide research tour across 24 institutions to promote open access and research integrity.
Beyond publishing, Springer Nature leveraged technology and AI to develop solutions for educators and healthcare professionals, including Macmillan Education Everywhere, a flexible digital learning platform; Macmillan AI Assistant (MAIA), designed to help teachers personalize course selection; and Ask Adis AI, a conversational AI tool for the pharmaceutical industry.
As the company looks ahead, it remains focused on collaboration within the global research community, supporting the transition to open access and leveraging technological advancements to enhance publishing and learning experiences.
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