The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is pleased to launch the second wave of our global Compensation and Benefits Benchmarking Study, which aims to collect comprehensive data on wages, compensation, benefits, policies, and skills from professionals in scholarly communications and the organizations that employ them.
Last year’s results (hosted on SSP’s Insights Platform) offered several key insights into the scholarly communications profession, including:
- 95% of individual respondents are employed full-time; 62% have the ability to work fully remotely
- 98% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher; 33% have a master’s degree, and 24% have PhDs
- 71% live in North America (68% in the US); 27% live in Europe and Central Asia (20% in the UK); 2% live in East Asia and the Pacific. Interestingly, the US (65%) and the UK (17%) are the most frequent headquarters for their employers.
2025 Study
The study is broken into two pathways: one for individuals and one for organizations. Data collection is open now through March 31, 2026, with reports available beginning February 2026. Participants are encouraged to submit their surveys by December 31, 2025, to ensure timely findings that can guide decisions in the coming year.
Participation Benefits
Both individuals and organizations that complete at least 60% of the survey (including all required questions) will receive an executive summary of the aggregate data at no cost.
- For Individuals: Participating helps professionals benchmark their pay and benefits, aiding in career planning and negotiations by providing insights into industry-specific salaries, benefits, and skills.
- For Organizations: Organizations will gain insights into compensation and benefits trends to stay competitive. The data supports decisions on salaries, benefits, and workforce planning. HR professionals with access to compensation data are ideal candidates for survey participation.
This study is a valuable resource for anyone in the scholarly publishing community. The more people participate, the more accurate and informative the results will be. We encourage individuals to complete the survey that applies to them and share the organizational survey information with the right person at their workplace. By sharing your data, you’ll help create fair, research-based compensation standards that benefit the whole industry.
Individuals and organizations who completed the 2024 survey are eligible to participate in the 2025 survey as well. Retaking the survey gives you access to the latest dataset, providing up-to-date insights into your professional environment. Respondents who completed last year will be able to import their data for updates.
Confidentiality and Data Security
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of the Benchmarking Study. All data is aggregated and anonymized, ensuring no proprietary information is linked to any individual or organization.
Participate today to ensure fair and competitive compensation practices in scholarly communications. Your input is essential for producing the most accurate, actionable data.
