It can be difficult to know how to effect change in the publishing ecosystem without disadvantaging yourself. Ultimately, making a healthier publishing environment must be a community effort, not an individual effort. But as part of that community, there are things you can do to enhance and speed the rate of change. Here are a few ideas …

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Recommendations for Individual Actions to Promote #BetterPublishing

As individual researchers, we have agency and can act to promote a more equitable publishing ecosystem by:

• participating intentionally in the publishing ecosystem as authors by prioritizing journals owned by learned societies, public institutions, and not-for-profit organizations
• contributing expertise as reviewers or editors to journals that are affiliated with learned societies, public institutions, and not-for-profit organizations
• promoting geographic, career-stage, and gender diversity within the editorial boards when acting as chief editors, and within reviewers when acting as editors 
• mentoring young scientists to increase abilities in scholarly writing and raise awareness about values and issues related to scientific publishing
• facilitating training for community members, as well as on the principles of better publishing to increase accessibility and equity
• committing to equitable practices in editing and reviewing that demystify decisions, favor re-use to maximize value and reduce burden, and illustrate other best practices
• asking employers to establish career evaluation criteria consistent with the principles of #BetterPublishing 

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