The latest Pulse Check report on the Economic Outlook for Scholarly Communications is now available! See how professionals across the scholarly communications ecosystem are assessing the industry’s economic resilience in the year ahead. Read the key takeaways on The Scholarly Kitchen and dive deeper with the full report on the SSP website.
Key Findings
- Economic sentiment is cautious and slightly negative, with concern about resilience in 2026 narrowly outweighing confidence, and most organizations expecting flat or modest financial performance rather than growth.
- Institutional budget constraints and research funding volatility are the dominant economic pressures, reinforcing that financial sustainability challenges are structural and closely tied to public and institutional funding environments.
- Research integrity, public trust, and protection against predatory and fraudulent practices are viewed as existential priorities, consistently ranking as the most critical near-term challenges to long-term economic viability.
- AI is seen more as a governance and risk-management issue than a pure efficiency opportunity, with strong concerns about intellectual property, ethical use, and disintermediation, alongside continued investment in automation and infrastructure.
- Organizations are prioritizing defensive strategies such as cost containment and operational efficiency, while selectively investing in core publishing and technology, signaling a focus on durability and stability over expansion in a politically and economically volatile environment.
Pulse Check polls consist of 5–6 focused questions, along with optional demographic information to enable richer segmentation and trend understanding.
By regularly “taking the temperature” of our community, Pulse Check helps track emerging challenges, opportunities, policy impacts, and shifting priorities affecting scholarly publishing organizations. Findings will support data-informed decision-making and provide a clearer picture of how our community is evolving.
If you have a suggestion for future Pulse Check Polls, send your ideas to info@sspnet.org.
