What’s next?
Trust and integrity remain key as the transition continues to accelerate amidst a complex landscape
Steven Inchcoombe
President, Research
“Reaching over 50% open access (OA) across the sector is a significant milestone – but it is not the finish line. The path to the next 50% will depend not only on the infrastructure we have built, but on the collective experience we have gained. Ensuring that the resulting openly published research is trustworthy, understandable, and re-usable, both directly and via AI, has never been more important.
After more than two decades of advancing OA, we remain convinced that gold OA has a central role to play in enabling immediate, OA to high-quality research. As we discuss in this report, supporting its continued growth – in ways that are sustainable, equitable and responsive to different funding models – will be key to ensuring that research can be shared, reused and built upon. OA, other open science techniques, and responsible use of AI under human oversight give us the best means of sustaining the trust and integrity of the whole research ecosystem and accelerating research for the benefit of all.”
By working in partnership with the global research community, and by balancing innovation with responsibility, we are confident in our ability to support continued progress towards a more open and effective research system.
Enabling more open research and data sharing
We continue to support researchers in adopting more open and transparent research practices, including:
- encouraging data sharing and reproducibility
- integrating workflows with preprints and other open research tools
- developing policies that support openness while remaining practical for authors across disciplines and regions
Partnering across the globe
We continue to expand our range of global transformative agreements (TAs) and working closely with institutions and funders worldwide, to make the transition affordable, simple and scalable.
Strengthening research integrity in an evolving landscape
As new technologies reshape research and publishing, safeguarding integrity remains central. We continue to work with a global network of editors and peer reviewers to uphold the quality and reliability of the research record, while investing in tools and processes that support:
- robust peer review and editorial oversight
- transparency in research reporting and data sharing
- early identification of potential issues in submissions and published work
Using technology and AI to scale OA responsibly
We continue to invest in and explore the best ways to support our research community in the transition to OA by introducing enhanced AI tools to:
- streamline submission, peer review and publication workflows
- enhance discoverability and access to research
- maintain rigorous standards of quality and oversight
Open access at Springer Nature
Growing the pool of knowledge
OA has been a central part of our DNA for over two decades.
Delivering Value
Authors publishing OA with us benefit from the highest usage of their work.
Sustainable OA
TAs remain a key lever driving sustainable, equitable OA transition for all.
Spotlight on: Real world impact
OA research continues to have tangible benefits for society and knowledge.
Spotlight on: Regional OA growth
We are committed to working with partners, globally, to ensure a sustainable, tailored, scalable path for all.
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