Representatives from journals, libraries, not-for-profit-publishers, and societies drafted principles for scientific publishers during a Working Group on “Evolving the Publishing Ecosystem” in Montréal, Canada, on the 30th July 2024. The recommendations were formally adopted by PEEER on 10 October 2024.

We encourage all academic publishers to adopt and enact these principles to reflect your responsibility for fostering positive change in the scientific publishing ecosystem and the benefits a more sustainable system will bring.

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Recommendations for Owners and Publishers of Scientific Journals (Oct’24)

As communicators of knowledge that can benefit humanity and the world in which we live, we have a responsibility to ensure equitable (open) access for, and to, that information, by:

• providing high quality production and marketing services

• ensuring a mutually beneficial long-term relationship with the scholarly community  

• being transparent (at least with the journal/society leadership) about costs, profits, and reinvestments in the scholarly community

• adopting business models that ensure fair pricing for all in which fees mirror costs, with adequate waivers for those in need

• providing copy-editing services that level differences in English proficiency and giving free language support where possible

• removing non-disclosure clauses from contracts with editors

• prioritizing the quality over the quantity of science published

• assuring independence of editorial boards

• promoting mechanisms for referrals and re-use of editorial recommendations and peer reviews across publishers’ catalogs

• ensuring processes (e.g. review, document management) are consistent with the aforementioned principles 

• being responsive to the needs of editorial boards and societies

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