The event’s plenary speakers are Kelley Squazzo, Director of Library and publisher Partnerships at Project Muse at Johns Hopkins University Press, and Swapna Padhye, Publishing Director at Humanities, Social Sciences, Law at Oxford University Press. Student journal panelists participating from GW include The Globe: Undergraduate Research Journal in International Affairs; The GW Undergraduate Law Review; The GW Undergraduate Review, and The GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing. AmLit and The Kogod Sustainability Review from American University, The Amistad from Howard University, and The Catalyst – Undergraduate Bioengineering Journal from the University of Maryland will also be represented in these discussions.

DMV Student Journal Symposium for Literary and Research Publications

Friday, April 26, 2024 • 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm EDT

National Churchill Leadership Center, Gelman Library
George Washington University Foggy Bottom Campus
2130 H St NW, Washington, DC 20052

Hosted by the Graduate Program in Publishing, College of Professional Studies, in collaboration with Libraries and Academic Innovation, The George Washington University

RSVP for the symposium

Student Journal Symposium co-organizers:

Jaylee Davis, GW CCAS Class of 2024; Editor-in-Chief, GW Undergraduate Review

Dominique McIndoe, GW MPS in Publishing Graduate, Spring 2024

Amelia Nason, GW CCAS Class of 2027

John W. Warren, Director and Associate Professor, GW Graduate Program in Publishing

Sponsored by the Society for Scholarly Publishing and with support from the Council on Undergraduate Research

I like the industry breakout sessions at SSP’s Annual Meeting because I learn more about each organization and what they do than I can by visiting their website or exhibit booth. In industry breakout sessions, the speakers talk about what they do and how it works in practice. To the surprise of no one, Wednesday is full of excellent-looking sessions. It will take a lot of work to choose which to attend! Longer descriptions of many sessions are in the SSP Annual Meeting Program.

Kicking off at noon, we have:

• Highwire Press: Publishing Systems that Enable Collaboration and Build Community
  Highwire Press will discuss how a modern, modular microservice-based workflow system can be designed to encourage collaboration and enable human interaction and show how the publishing process can be a community activity rather than a set of serially siloed tasks. They’ll also show a system that can easily integrate automated microservices, enabling skilled publishing professionals to participate.
• Copyright Clearance Center: Data in the Driver’s Seat: Using Data to Steer Your OA Business Strategy
  Copyright Clearance Center will share the feedback they hear directly from publishers who are investing in new business models and highlight questions publishers ask when considering new models, identify data points that can help answer those questions, and showcase new technology to help you leverage your data to better understand the best road forward.
• Digital Science: Writefull: Manuscript Analysis Tools to Publish Better in Less Time
  Writefull provides a collection of AI-based tools that analyze submissions to help the author and publisher improve the quality and speed of publication. Writefull Revise and Writefull’s Language technologies help authors and copy editors evaluate and quickly enhance the language of manuscripts before or after submission. Writefull’s Manuscript Categorization API scores and categorizes manuscripts based on language quality to triage submitted manuscripts, assign copyeditors, and more. Writefull also has a metadata extraction tool that automatically populates key fields at submission, eliminating time and error potential.

Followed by at 12:45 pm:

• Virtusales: Technological Catalyst: Embracing Technology for Books and Journals in Scholarly Publishing
  Join MF Gydus (MIT Press) in conversation with Rodney Elder (Virtusales Publishing Solutions) as they discuss implementing BiblioSuite publishing software in detail. They will cover the full publishing lifecycle from acquisitions and product management through digital asset workflow and production to contracts, rights, royalties, and sales analysis. This session will showcase the range of solutions available within BiblioSuite and shed light on the motivations behind this ambitious project.
• Wiley: Building a Best-in-Class Workflow: Auditing, Streamlining, Standardizing
  Wiley will present case studies highlighting key steps for making workflows more efficient and streamlined, presenting systems and workflow standardizations that have been used to set journals up for success and improve the overall author experience.
• Hum: Good Data: The Most Important Ingredient for AI
  Hum helps publishers access and use advanced intelligence where identity and behavior intersect by revolutionizing how they collect, connect, and activate high-value first-party data. This session will discuss practical ways to harness data intelligence to understand readers, authors, and content more intimately and explore case studies showing how data can be used to deliver.

After a 15-minute break and starting at 1:30 pm:

• SiteFusion ProConsult: Optimizing Scholarly Publishing Workflows: A Deep Dive into BPMN for Journals
  This comprehensive exploration will showcase a highly configurable BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) workflow engine that optimizes concurrent journal article editorial and production processes. Learn how automation facilitates critical tasks, including copyediting, file format conversions, citation validation, task alerts, content classification, and product transformations and deliveries.
• Kriyadocs: Help Your Authors Put Their Best Foot Forward
  Kriyadocs will delve into the symbiotic relationship between publishers and authors, emphasizing the role of technology in optimizing the author submission process. By leveraging innovative and intuitive tools to enhance the quality of submissions, Kriyadocs empowers publishers to help their authors put their best foot forward.
• Cadmore: Are Online Events the Next Scholarly Content Type? A Case Study with the American Medical Association
  Discover how the American Medical Association, in partnership with Cadmore Media, has developed and is growing AMA Broadcast. This online event management platform allows the society to run highly successful webinar programs with high production value, sophisticated moderation tools, and powerful workflows, from scheduling to final on-demand publication.
• Access Innovations, Inc.: Supercharge Your AI
  Access Innovations will share some insights on supercharging your AI in this packed presentation. Starting with some definitions and things you probably forgot about how computing – especially AI – works, Access Innovations will walk you through some tried-and-true techniques for improving AI, giving you several “aha!” moments and actionable insight to take back to your organization.

At 2:15 pm, get ready to enjoy these:

• TNQ Technologies: The Coordinated Dance Between AI and Human-Intelligence for Optimal Outcomes
  Without going much into philosophy and using practical examples as well as real-life experiences and perspectives through audience interaction, TNQ Technologies will discuss why human involvement remains indispensable in achieving superior results and what could be some metrics, indicators, and quality benchmarks to make informed decisions on when to trust AI outputs and where to inject human expertise for best efficiency and quality.
• KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.: Leveraging Bibliometric Data for Strategic Growth: Publisher Use Cases
  KGL Consulting will introduce use cases of organizations that have harnessed bibliometric data to inform and optimize their growth strategies. Speakers will explain in practical terms how they have used different bibliometric reports to understand their journal or portfolio’s market position, uncover and reach underrepresented areas and groups, and identify high-potential opportunities to improve their journal or portfolio’s reach and value.
• Newgen: Reimagining the Vendor-Publisher Service Relationship: The Case for Vested Publishing Services
  Newgen can support any and every aspect of your publishing business. Typically, publishers pay for these services. However, this case study will explore two unique cases, along with examples from other publisher clients, where publishers have partnered with Newgen on a revenue-sharing basis to deliver mission-critical services.
• Silverchair: The Technology Trends Transforming Publishing Platforms
  Silverchair will share how their platform has evolved, tactics publishers can adopt to make their site more future-proof, and how they’ve collaborated with customers to anticipate the impact of new technology trends. From ‘containerless content’ to AI experiments, we’ll explore the changing roles of platforms in today’s scholarly publishing ecosystem. The Silverchair team will share how technology trends influence platform development and explore potential futures in a focus group-style discussion.

And wrapping up starting at 3:00 pm:

• Molecular Connections Pvt. Ltd.: Society Publishers, Let’s Give Our Members What Content They Want, Rather Than Just What You Have and In Turn Create a Novel Revenue Model
  OrthoSearch today boasts 390,000 documents across ~8 content types, including journal articles, preprints, proceedings, videos, and standards. About 41% of mainstream content is open access; members can browse the product by any/all specialties/topics they are interested in and/or find exciting connections across topics. This one-stop portal also has a niche alerting service backed by a powerful AI-led natural language search, which delivers relevant content from multiple avenues efficiently and precisely.
• ChronosHub: One Author Experience, Many Underlying Systems
  Discover how the ChronosHub platform can sit on top of existing legacy systems to provide one coherent platform for author interactions throughout the publishing process, from submissions to the signing of author licenses and processing payments. Featuring modern, user-centric designs and configurations and integrations with other systems in the workflow, such as peer review, production, and publication.
• Deanta: Trends in Academic Publishing 2024
  Patrick Shafe will be joined on stage by two leading USA publishers. The panelists will discuss the key findings from the 2024 Trends in Academic Publishing Survey and examine the ways in which publishers are adopting technologies to support their push for independence.
• Clarivate: Solutions to Identify, Attract and Retain Authors
  Clarivate offers solutions that help build, engage, and retain a community of trusted authors and reviewers. Learn more about how Web of Science, Web of Science Author Connect, and ScholarOne Manuscripts can help grow the ability to identify, attract, and retain authors in today’s competitive landscape.

Phew! As if that wasn’t enough, there are still three Industry Breakout Sessions up for grabs! Organizers may share information about a product or service, but sessions will be most effective if they present case studies/use cases, customer testimonials, timely information about industry issues, best practices, innovative solutions to everyday challenges, roundtable discussions, etc. Contact Kristen Totaro, SSP’s Industry Relations Associate, for more information.

See you in Boston!

News contribution by SSP member Heather Kotula, who says she’s having trouble choosing which ones to attend because they all sound good! Heather is the President and CEO of Access Innovations, Inc.

Join us for a webinar on staffing a research integrity unit in a publishing office. This event is hosted by The Scholarly Kitchen and moderated by Chef Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Professor/Coordinator for Research and Teaching Professional Development in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Guest panelists include Kim Eggleton, Head of Peer Review & Research Integrity for IOP Publishing; Yael Fitzpatrick, Editorial Ethics Manager for PNAS; Adya Misra, Senior Research Integrity and Inclusion Manager for Sage Publishing; and Amanda Sulicz, Publishing Ethics specialist for IEEE. 

There has been a lot of programming around research integrity in recent years, much of it designed to raise awareness about the problem. But this webinar promises to be different: it will focus on practical ways to integrate research integrity roles into scholarly publishing teams. “SSP members already know that there’s a research integrity problem. It’s not a surprise,” says Hinchliffe. “The people SSP serves are the people who need to know what to do about this problem.”   

Integrating research integrity roles is a particular challenge for small to mid-size publishers, who may be trying to figure out how to create a role like this in an environment of increasing costs and decreasing revenue. That’s why Hinchliffe invited speakers from across the scholarly publishing industry, including big and mid-size publishers, commercial and nonprofit, and people at a diversity of career stages. 

The panelists will provide insight into the ways their organizations handle the nuts and bolts of research integrity, such as defining the responsibilities of the people working in these roles, the technologies available to publishers, and how ethics offices are using them.  

This webinar will be targeted towards publishers that have a research integrity officer (dedicated or part-time), or even places with one officer who are planning to expand, as well as people who supervise such a unit. Attendees will learn how other publishers are doing this work and learn some best practices (and alternative practices) to make these units as effective and efficient as possible. 

Although paper mills have been in the headlines, Hinchliffe wants to make it clear that research integrity is about more than high-profile problems like image manipulation and authorship-for-sale. It includes correctly documented competing interests, compliance with institutional review boards, compliance with animal welfare policies, and acknowledging funders. 

“Research integrity is not just the big splashy things we’re seeing in the headlines,” says Hinchliffe. “Those are definitely critical and important, but it obscures issues like ‘are the right people listed as authors, and only the right people listed as authors?’” 

Please join us to learn some useful benchmarks from your peers as we discuss the scope of the work of a research integrity officer at a scholarly publisher. Register now! 

News contribution by SSP member Gwen Weerts. Gwen Weerts is a Journals Manager for SPIE and Editor-in-Chief of Photonics Focus.

Set the course for the future of scholarly communication and network with colleagues May 29–31 in the vibrant city of Boston, Massachusetts. Secure your spot now and benefit from our early bird rates available until April 19!

View the Annual Meeting Preliminary Program!

The Society for Scholarly Publishing’s 46th Annual Meeting is the premier multidisciplinary education event in scholarly publishing. Engage with experts and thought leaders at this three-day education and networking event!

• Thirty educational sessions over two days led by top industry experts complementing four plenary sessions
• The SSP Previews session with lightning-round presentations of new technologies and products
• Industry breakout sessions with more opportunities to meet and learn
• Poster sessions highlighting case studies and best practices in publishing

Important Dates

• April 19 Early Registration Discount Ends
• May 6 Discount Hotel Room Rate Expires
• May 15 Registration Cancellation Deadline

The landscape of scholarly publishing is evolving rapidly in an era marked by unprecedented growth in scholarly outputs and a transformative shift towards recognizing researchers’ dual roles. The surge in open access and the pressing call for equity and inclusion, alongside the advent of artificial intelligence, present a mix of challenges and opportunities. Now, more than ever, our collective decisions will shape the future value and values of our industry and community.

Our Annual Meeting offers attendees a strong program full of informational and thought-provoking presentations covering the biggest issues and questions in our industry today. Join colleagues from society and commercial publishers, research institutions, university presses, libraries, and service providers to ask the tough questions and strive together to find the right balance within an industry in the throes of change.

REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE!

EARLY BIRD RATES AVAILABLE THROUGH APRIL 19, 2024! Members save even more! Join SSP now and save over $200 on registration.

Thank You to Our 2024 Annual Meeting Sponsors!

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities at the Annual Meeting, visit the SSP website or contact Kristen Totaro.