International Science Council Approach to Science Publishing

Geoffrey Boulton

ISC Board & University of Edinburgh

140

40

70

National and regional scientific organizations, including Academies and Research Councils

​

International scientific unions and associations, across the natural and social sciences

National, regional or global affiliates, including young scientist organizations, scientific federations and societies

#MuscatISC

ISC Membership:

ISC-sponsored and Affiliated international scientific Bodies

Global Observing Systems

• Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
• Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) 

International Research Programmes

• Future Earth
• Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
• Integrated Research on Disaster Risk Programme (IRDR)
• Urban Health and Wellbeing Programme (UHWB)
• Comparative Research on Inequality (GRIP)

International Data Bodies

• Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA)
• World Data System (WDS)

The International

Network for Governmental

Science Advice (INGSA)

• Antarctic Research (SCAR)
• Frequencies for Radio Astronomy and Space Science (IUCAF)
• Oceanic Research (SCOR)
• Space Research (COSPAR)
• Solar Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP)

International Scientific Committees

#MuscatISC

High priority for members of the new organisation in 2019

-Initial Working Group created in 2020

Question: Is reform needed?

A series of community consultations led to report in 2021: Opening the Record of Science: making scholarly publishing work for science in the Digital Era

- Adopted as an ISC position paper

• Proposes a series of normative principles
• Describes the current publishing landscape and its trajectory of evolution;
• Identifies issues that need to be addressed
• Answer to the reform question: YES

​

​

#MuscatISC

The Future of Scientific Publishing

#MuscatISC

Principles

​

endorsed

​

by

​

members

2022 - 2024

• Key principles
• Extent to which they are satisfied
• Priorities for reform

​

#MuscatISC

Key Principles and Priorities for Reform

Primary Purpose: to place new understanding in the public domain

​

​

​

The historical shift: from struggling to publish to struggling to be read

​

​

​

Consequence: researchers (who don’t pay) are proxy buyers of readers’ attention

from

publishers at the top and bottom of the market who: increase

unit prices; expand market share; move to exploit

copyright thro’ AI training.

The Contemporary Commercial Science Publishing Model

Negative Outcomes and the Rationale for Reform

#MuscatISC

Excessive Prices

Fractured International Community

​

Flawed scientific procedures

Weak Functionality

Inadequate navigation

​

Overpublishing – driven by bibliometrics

Access restricted to university system

Privatisation of knowledge

Outmoded journal system

Junk science & fraud

Inequity

Processes

Pathologies

Solutions?

Principles Problems

​

Science as a global public good Funding mode

• free at the point of access

Diverse modes Structure

• geography-discipline-evolution

Source-agnostic indexing Investment

• useability & academic credit

Setting minimum standards Governance

• includes open processes (University buy-in)

​

Change can’t happen overnight – progressive processes?

As a public good, the value of knowledge increases as the number of people possessing it increases.

The opposite of “open`” is not ”closed”. The opposite of ”open” is ”broken”.

Knowledge is a global public good. It has no marginal cost. It is therefore counter-productive to deny access.

Joe Stigllitz

economist

John Willbanks

genetic datascience

Global Public Goods

• the search for truth and new knowledge, the refusal to accept anything without testing and trial,

​

• the capacity to change previous conclusions in the face of new evidence,

​

• the reliance on observed fact and not pre-conceived theory ….

… that should be a way of life, a process of thinking, a method of acting and associating with our fellowmen...it is the temper (the temperament or spirit) ”of a free man”

Jawaharlal

Nehru