The latest Pulse Check report on the Advocacy in Scholarly Communications is now available! See how organizations across the scholarly communications ecosystem view advocacy, align on industry priorities, and address the challenges of engaging with policymakers and the public. Read the key takeaways on The Scholarly Kitchen and dive deeper with the full report on the SSP website.
Key Findings
- Across the community, there is clear consensus that coordinated engagement is most critical where policy decisions shape the research and publishing environment.
- Research integrity, funding and infrastructure, sustainable business models, and the ethical use of AI form a tightly connected core of concerns, reflecting both long-standing pressures and rapidly evolving risks.
- Participation in coalitions, policy monitoring, and direct engagement is widespread, indicating that advocacy is active across the ecosystem, even if approaches differ.
- A lack of staff time and resources far outweighs all other constraints, suggesting that organizations are motivated but need more scalable ways to participate.
- Organizations are asking for centralized data, practical toolkits, and coordinated campaigns—resources that reduce duplication and enable more consistent, collective action.
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.
