Investing in technology to advance OA
We are committed to investing in technology to provide a streamlined, valuable experience, enabling researchers to advance discovery
Open access (OA) continues to evolve, and we need to be nimble in responding to changes, and the demands of our community.
Over a third of our staff in research are now in tech-heavy roles, as we look to provide better, faster digital experiences for our community of researchers, peer reviewers and editors.
Technology has always played a significant role at Springer Nature, ensuring we can serve our communities. We continue to invest in and explore the best ways to support our research community in the transition to OA by: (1) exploring new OA models; (2) introducing enhanced AI tools to better support author workflows when publishing OA; (3) adopting new policies to support uptake and ethical use. Since 2021, our total investments and operational spending on technology across the business and all portfolios has totalled over €470m.14
14 €470m+ between 2021-2023 and €173m+ in 2023
Transforming the publishing process, adapting to OA growth
Springer Nature launched its new article processing platform, Snapp, as part of our commitment into the future of publishing and the growth of OA. Using AI and machine learning it provides a streamlined workflow for authors, enhanced integrity checks, and integrated tools and features to support early sharing as part of one log in and submission process. Snapp is already delivering greater benefits for our community in helping to drive forward OA growth. In 2023 we reached a milestone on Snapp, having handled over 1 million submissions through the platform, 75% of which were OA.
Supporting alternative ways to share and helping to unify the process
In 2023 we acquired protocols.io, a secure platform for developing and sharing reproducible methods and expanded In Review, a service that integrates early sharing and increased transparency with the journal submission and peer review process, across more than 1,000 Springer Nature journals.
To make data sharing easier for authors, we also introduced a single data policy across all journals and books.
Using technology to innovate OA publishing models
Following the acquisition of the Cureus Journal of Medical Science in 2022, we have applied its unique OA publishing model to more disciplines, launching the Cureus Journals. Combining a journal and community platform, technology is helping to power a faster OA publishing route – with more than half of all accepted articles being published within 3 weeks or less from submission.
Open Access at Springer Nature
Ensuring equitable OA
We work to eliminate barriers to creating, discovering and using knowledge
Spotlight on TAs
Springer Nature TAs powered 7x more gold OA articles than via authors choosing to publish OA in 2023, while not being part of a TA
Spotlight on integrity
To accelerate the next phase of the transition to OA, we’re investing strongly in technology and AI, with a particular focus on protecting the integrity and trust of research.
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