Scientific publishing under strain

Between 2016 and 2022, the research world witnessed 47% growth in the annual number of scientific publications, which climbed from 1.9 million to 2.8 million. In contrast, the number of researchers has hardly budged. This trend could have borne good tidings for science, if it were the result of more researchers disseminating more diverse results. Unfortunately, it reflects self-interested editorial practices that are placing strain on scientific publishing as a whole. An international group of researchers came together to study the forces at play. Indices for characterizing publishing strain were collaboratively developed by Paolo Crosetto (INRAE, GAEL), Mark A. Hanson (University of Exeter), Pablo Gómez Barreiro (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), and Dan Brockington (Autonomous University of Barcelona). These indices were constructed by gathering data from websites or publishers for all articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science between 2016 and 2022. The subsequent findings made it possible to describe patterns in publisher activity, citation practices, and article turnaround time. The latter is the time to acceptance for a scientific article following submission; its duration is partially determined by the degree of formal review conducted by research specialists. This study has given rise to an evidence-based approach for measuring current strain on scientific publishing and proposes concrete solutions for improving industry efficiency and transparency. Its results have shed light on the publishing groups and practices that have most contributed to the burgeoning number of articles.  Truncated turnover and a surge in special issues