Dear American Society of Animal Science members,
The publications committee is working to meet the needs of the society. Over this past year, two topics have arisen with respect to the publication of manuscripts in the society’s journals. The committee would like to get your input on these topics that could dramatically impact the American Society of Animal Science.
1) How to incentivize manuscript reviews?
2) Should the Journal of Animal Science move to full open access or continue as a hybrid journal?
At this summer’s national meeting, the publications committee will hold an open discussion on these topics.
When: Wednesday, July 9th from 10:05-10:45
Where: Great Hall 2
In addition, if you see any member of the publication committee, please let them know your thoughts. We need your input to help meet the needs of the society.
To help you begin to think about these topics, here is some background information.
Reviewer incentive
Reviewers are the heart of the peer-review process. Without them, there is no peer-review system. The number of peer-reviewed journals is growing by some estimates to be as high as 5% year-over-year. Today, there are estimated to be over 20,000 open-access journals and over 30,000 total academic journals. The American Society of Animal Science alone has three journals in its portfolio. That begs the question: Who reviews all the manuscripts that are submitted to all those journals? The answer is quite simple: reviewers review them. But who are those reviewers? The challenge is that the number of available reviewers is not growing while the competition for their attention and services certainly is. As an example, non-ruminant nutrition is the category in the Journal of Animal Science with the most annual submissions. Not a huge surprise, non-ruminant nutrition is also the largest submission category in Translational Animal Science. The issue is that those two journals, along with Animal Frontiers, share a reviewer pool. The value of quality reviews is on the rise because it is becoming increasingly difficult to get quality reviews. It is not uncommon for Associate Editors to invite more than 15 potential reviewers before 2 agree to actually review a manuscript. Because of that, the ASAS publications committee is exploring a reviewer compensation program to reward and entice members to serve as reviewers for our three sister journals. In the meantime, if you are an author or have been an author in the past, please consider repaying the favor and hit that “agree” button the next time a review invitation crosses your desk.
Open Access
Open Access in Context: What It Means for Scientific Publishing
Our society’s flagship journal, the Journal of Animal Science, is currently published under a hybrid model. This means authors can choose to:
- Publish their articles as open access (OA) by paying an Article Processing Charge (APC), which makes the paper freely available to all readers worldwide; or
- Pay lower page charges, in which case the article remains behind a subscription paywall.
Both publishing paths are member-discounted, and all authors contribute to publication costs in some form. The Journal of Animal Science is highly regarded in our field, indexed as a Q1 title, and represents a significant source of revenue for our society.
The Open Access Model
Open access (OA) is a publishing model where scholarly articles are made freely available to everyone, without subscription barriers. Readers can access, read, download, and share the content at no cost. In most cases, the cost of publishing is covered through Article Processing Charges (APCs), typically paid by the author's institution or funds raised by the author.
OA has become an increasingly important component of academic publishing because it has the ability to increase visibility, improve access to publicly funded research, and promote scientific collaboration. Major funders and national policies are pushing for broader implementation of OA to ensure publicly funded research is openly available.
Well-established, high-impact journals like ours are considering this shift, or have already made it. Moving to full OA can help protect the journal’s relevance and accessibility in a rapidly evolving research environment. As global expectations around openness and transparency grow, OA ensures that our journal remains a trusted and visible leader in its field.
How Does Open Access Influence Visibility and Impact Factor?
One of the most widely recognized benefits of open access is increased visibility. Articles that are openly accessible are easier to find, read, and cite. Studies across disciplines have shown that OA articles tend to receive more downloads and citations than paywalled articles, which can lead to a measurable impact on a journal’s impact factor.
By making all content freely accessible, a fully OA model can amplify the global reach of all of the research we publish, particularly for readers in industry, education, and in parts of the world without strong library systems. Open availability can also increase media coverage, social media sharing, and policy influence, giving authors’ work broader exposure and real-world relevance.
Why Consider a Change?
Scholarly publishing is rapidly evolving. Research funders and academic institutions around the world are increasingly mandating open access. Many journals and societies are transitioning to fully OA models to remain aligned with these changes. To ensure our journal remains competitive and sustainable, the society is examining whether a move to full open access could be beneficial for the journal and for the society.
What Would Change Under a Full Open Access Model?
All accepted articles would be freely available to the public immediately upon publication. Authors would pay APCs to cover the cost of publishing. The option for page charges for paywalled articles would be eliminated, and subscriptions would no longer be required to access content. This model increases transparency and global accessibility of the research we publish.
Advantages of a Full Open Access Model:
- Global Reach & Impact: Freely available articles are downloaded and cited more often, broadening the visibility of our authors and their work.
- Funder Compliance: OA aligns with Plan S, and many funder mandates, potentially making our journal a more attractive outlet for funded researchers.
- Simpler Model: Eliminates confusion around different publishing options and costs.
- Leadership Role: Signals the society's commitment to openness, education, and access to science.
Challenges and Considerations:
- Financial Risk: Our current hybrid model provides stable revenue through the mixed approach of revenue from subscriptions, page charges, and APCs. Transitioning to APC-only income introduces uncertainty.
- Equity for Authors: Not all authors have access to APC funding. This could disproportionately affect early-career researchers or those from underfunded institutions unless waiver systems are expanded.
- Member Benefits: Journal access is currently a valued member benefit. Going OA would require rethinking what membership offers.
In summary, as the academic publishing landscape continues to evolve, we need to continually assess whether a shift to a full open-access model aligns with the mission, values, and long-term sustainability of the society and the journal. Each publishing approach carries both opportunities and trade-offs in terms of accessibility, revenue, author equity, and member benefits. Evaluation of these factors will help ensure the journal remains a trusted, high-impact outlet for animal science research in the years to come.
