How to Move Fast and Not Break Things: Balancing High-Speed Outputs at the Risk of Slamming on the Brakes

9:30 am – 2:30 pm EDT October 6, 2021
9:30 am – 1:30 pm EDT October 7, 2021

SSP’s 2021 New Directions Seminar will a deep dive into the breakneck speed in which our industry is currently transitioning, transforming, and evolving, while also recognizing and highlighting the limits (and uncomfortable consequences) of moving too quickly.  

Topics covered in the seminar include new pressures on scholarship and science communication in a post-Covid world; new Open Access and funding models; the drive toward diversity and inclusion in workplaces and publications; the surge in preprints and the demand for accelerated publishing workflows; emerging metrics of impact; and the latest—and truly exciting—developments in tools, techniques, and technology that drive our industry forward. Speakers will examine these issues through the lens of the “need for speed” and how to find the right cadence or risk slamming on the breaks.

Join us as we explore how we can respond quickly to changing conditions within the scholarly publishing industry and community, and work towards reaching a universal speed—hopefully, without breaking things.

Seminar Program

Day 1 – Wednesday, October 6, 2021

9:30 am – 9:45 am EDT
Introduction: Reaching a Universal Speed Together

Speaker:
Sophie Reisz, Vice President and Executive Editor, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers

9:45 am – 10:45 am EDT
A Whole New World: Scholarship Under Fire 

2020 was an eye-opening, unrelenting experiment in exploring new directions in our personal and professional lives. Even now, as we move further into 2021 and beyond, we are considering what these changes and experiences might mean as we continue to collectively power forward.

As we adjust to this “whole new world,” our industry bears a new level of responsibility as scholarship, scientific research, and advances in new scientific technologies (especially with respect to vaccinations) fall under a high-resolution microscope. Some might even say that scientific research and scholarship are “under fire” as citizen scientists and global citizens alike emerge to voice their advocacy, opinions, and concerns about public health, public security, climate change, and our collective responsibilities to each other as individuals of a greater global network.

This session is the start of the conversation. It will focus specifically on the emerging responsibilities we now have as academic publishers, researchers, librarians, and citizens to uphold the rigor and impact of the advancements that have the greatest potential for positive influence around the world. 

Moderator:
Chhavi Chauhan, American Society for Investigative Pathology

Speaker:
Toby Green, Coherent Digital
Rachel Martin, Elsevier

10:45 am - 11:00 am EDT
Break

11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT
Preprints and New Content

It is now common practice for researchers in many disciplines to post their work as a preprint ahead of or in conjunction with submission to a peer-reviewed journal. For some, the question is no longer whether to upload a preprint of their work, but when or how quickly to do so. With preprints now a first step in the submission process, publishers and editors have a new set of questions: Where do preprints fit in the scope of upholding scientific rigor? What if the study or data are flawed (and potentially harmful to readers, especially those who aren’t scientists)? Who takes responsibility for the accuracy of preprints and the data now “published” and available to the public? How do we handle retracting, citing, and referencing preprints? Are preprints a “move fast and break things” example of new directions in academic publishing, or should we consider implementing some speed bumps? This panel will discuss these questions and more.

Moderator: 
Sylvia Izzo Hunter, Inera, An Atypon Company

Speakers:
Dr. Alexandra Freeman, Octopus and University of Cambridge
Dr. Joy Owango, Training Centre in Communication and AfricArxiv
Michele Avissar-Whiting, Research Square

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT 
Break

1:00 pm EDT - 2:30 pm EDT 
New Directions in Open Access

Though not a "new direction" in our industry, open access is moving in many directions, and very quickly—from new APC models, new types of deals, discussion about equitable access, Plan S compliance, funding resources, cost and revenue modeling, and more. This 90-minute session will include a topical roundtable, paired speaker dialogues, and audience questions to explore all the latest developments and future trends in this critical area of scholarly communications. 

Moderator:
Heather Staines

Facilitator:
Alexa Colella

Speakers:
Raym Crow, Chain Bridge Group
Susan Doerr, University of Minnesota Press, Manifold
Martin Eve, Birkbeck University and the Open Library of Humanities
Kamran Naim, CERN
Sara Rouhi, PLOS
John Sherer, UNC Press

2:30–3:00 pm EDT
Break

3:00–4:30 pm EDT
Roundtable Discussions and Networking

In keeping with the theme of New Directions, join us for structured roundtable discussions on current and emerging topics in publishing, followed by time to meet new and old friends. 

Day 2 – Thursday, October 7, 2021

9:30 am EDT - 10:30 am EDT
What's the Issue? Impact and Metrics

2020 was a pivotal year for impact and metrics. In this panel we will explore the update to the JIF calculation, discussing the whys and nuances of citational practices as well as the value of understanding disciplinary differences and what impact means when citational practices differ.

Moderator:
Sai Konda, American Chemical Society

Speakers:
Marie McVeigh, Clarivate
Rebecca Kennison, K|N Consultants
Josh Nicholson, scite

10:30 am - 10:45 am EDT 
Break

10:45 am - 11:45 am EDT 
Funds, Funders, Funding

New directions in funding opportunities for researchers are fundamental (see what we did there?) to many fields. With the pandemic still very much at the center of our daily experience, this session will examine how funding opportunities have changed or pivoted since the emergence of covid-19. Panelists will discuss how authors— especially early career authors—are required to navigate this new funding landscape, how librarians must consider new mandates and requirements from funding agencies while supporting the interests and needs of researchers within their respective institutions, and how funding as we know it is dynamically changing the landscape of academic research. 

Moderator:
Simone Taylor, AIP

Speakers:
Jan Philip Solovej, University of Copenhagen
Chonnettia Jones, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
Roger Schonfeld, ITHAKA
Nick Campbell, Springer Nature

11:45 am - 12:45 pm EDT 
Break

12:45 pm - 1:45 pm EDT 
New Directions in Tools for Discoverability, Findability, Shareability, and Impact 

Back by popular demand, this session will feature an engaging panel of experts presenting the tools and technology that will lead to new directions in academic publishing. Ranging from emerging artificial Intelligence-based tools to open science tools, preprint tools, and more, this team of panelists will discuss new ways of using technology to address current challenges faced by the industry.

Moderator:
John Shaw, SAGE Publishing

Speakers:
Sami Benchekroun, Morressier
Darrell Gunter, Gunter Media Group, Inc.
Lisa Cuevas Shaw, Center for Open Science
Alix Vance, AIP

Registration:

Early registration deadline is Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Residents of countries classified as low, lower middle, or upper middle on the World Bank List of Economies quality for a discounted registration rate.  Select the Individual Registration type and the discount is applied to registrations for attendees residing in any country that is not classified “high income.” Discounts cannot be combined with organization group discounts. 

Event Sponsors: 

Additional sponsorship packages are available. Contact Christina DeRose at [email protected].

Event cancellation policy: 

Cancellations received in writing two weeks before the event will be issued a refund less a $30 processing fee. No refunds will be processed for cancellations less than two weeks before the event. SSP encourages you to send a substitute in your place if you cannot attend. SSP reserves the right to cancel any program or session. In the unlikely event of cancellations, SSP will refund registration fees, but is not responsible for any costs, damages, or other expenses of any kind, including and without limitation, transportation and/or hotel costs incurred by registrant. Speakers are subject to change without notice.

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