Current changes in scientific publishing are among the most radical in over 50 years, with the range of publishing options rapidly expanding. Publisher-owned journals often dominate the landscape, while rising Article Processing Charges (APCs) and surging Open Access (OA) threaten to leave authors and institutions with few affordable options. These changes increase inequity among institutions and countries with differing levels of wealth. At the same time, they penalize early career researchers who depend heavily on high-profile—typically more expensive—journals to establish their careers. To raise awareness of these challenges and explore solutions that promote a more equitable and inclusive publishing process, two editions of the workshop “Navigating Scientific Publishing” were held during the annual tri-societies (ASN, SSB, SSE) Evolution 2025 meeting. Led by Michael Dawson (University of California, Merced) and Leticia Ochoa-Ochoa (Universidad Nacional Autónomade México), the workshops were offered in two modalities: a virtual workshop to increase participation of global researchers, and an in-person session primarily aimed at guiding early career researchers. Both workshops focused on discussing strategies to navigate the increasingly complex publishing landscape successfully. Participants had the opportunity to share their concerns about the current publishing system and their hopes for how it might evolve to better support researchers in the future.

Owen Cook, an employee of the University of Chicago Press (a nonprofit publisher) working on The American Naturalist (a society journal), who attended both the online session and the in-person workshop in Athens reflected on his experience, noting that both sessions—particularly the in-person workshop with its large, diverse panel—were extremely helpful in demystifying the challenges, stakes, and historical backstory behind the current publishing landscape. A key takeaway for him was the value and importance of society journals and nonprofit publishers, which have long existed but whose significance has often been overshadowed by the push for OA “come hell or high water.” Owen highlighted that while the drive for gold OA has brought progress, it has also created unintended consequences and perverse incentives in the publishing ecosystem. “It was encouraging to hear discussions on the financial inequities in the system, the artificial nature of the Impact Factor, and sharp practices by certain for-profit publishers, as well as to learn about the progress made in Latin America in fostering healthier, nonprofit publishing ecosystems.” However, he also noted that more outreach and education are needed, as confusion remains widespread—for example, that OA does not always mean expensive APCs, but can also include green OA (self-archiving), a fact not yet widely understood in the scholarly community.

One of the major concerns raised by other participants was the disparity in opportunities to publish in “prestigious” journals, not only across countries but also across institutions. While some universities provide funding for publication fees, even for graduate students, this is not the case at many institutions, where even faculty members lack such support. These inequalities influence not only the choice of journal but also affect career trajectories, as current academic evaluations may heavily favor publication in high-impact, often expensive journals. However, the workshops did not focus solely on these challenges; the panel also provided practical tips for publishing and highlighted resources and solutions. For instance, many high-quality journals, particularly society journals, are free to publish or offer waivers for researchers who lack funding and/or work in in countries in which investment in science is low. While the general motivation for choosing where to publish is often tied to external pressures associated with the current metrics for evaluating success in research, these perceptions can be reconsidered with the support of scientific societies, institutions, and funding agencies.

In the virtual version of the workshop, there was a higher representation of young scientists from lower-resourced research economies. Unsurprisingly, major concerns raised during this session included the inequity in publishing between the ‘Global North’ and the ‘Global South’, as well as the challenges of conducting competitive research while maintaining a high publication rate without adequate resources. A researcher from a low-income country noted that even fee waivers offered by publishers might not be sufficient to enable publication in high-impact journals. These are systemic issues in academic publishing that will require fundamental changes in how science is conducted. They also highlight the need for scientific organizations, such as PEEER (Publishing for an Ethical and Equitable Environment in Research), to advocate for reform by engaging funding bodies and governmental institutions in a coordinated, global effort. Another important concern discussed was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific writing. While AI tools can significantly help improve grammar—especially for non-native English speakers—participants noted potential ethical risks, including the generation of inaccurate information or fabricated citations. The major takeaway was the importance of using AI tools carefully and responsibly.

These workshops present an important step toward a more equitable and inclusive scientific community, enabling researchers to share their work and remain competitive regardless of their institutional or geographic context. PEEER has compiled major recommendations and resources to help researchers navigate the complex publishing process (see https://peeer.net/). We encourage researchers to share these resources with collaborators and to advocate for systemic changes by bringing these recommendations to the attention of editorial boards and scientific societies.

Carmen del Rocío Pedraza-Marrón
University of California Merced, USA

Rocco Fabrizio Notarnicola
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland