Scholarly Communications in a Rapidly Changing US Policy Landscape

REPORTER: Michele Springer Caudex Recent policy changes from the current US government administration have had a significant impact on scientific communications.1,2 In this panel discussion, scholarly publishing and academic experts reflected on how these changes affect the scholarly communications industry and what they have been hearing from the communities they serve. The audience was able to anonymously submit questions, which were also addressed by the panel. Topic: How can we support researchers affected by these policy changes? The panel acknowledged that a major outcome of the current policy changes has been grant and funding termination. Some studies are being halted midway through, while others will not be able to start. Wherever possible, we should offer support and let researchers know the community values what they do. If resources allow, provide funds to bring research to an orderly rather than abrupt finish, or look into organizations that will provide funding for this purpose. Do not close more doors. Topic: What can publishers and preprint servers do to support scholarly communications? Publishers should continue publishing and making decisions following standards and best practices, as they always have, adhering to existing policies and remaining committed to the academic record. Be flexible with lead times and author responses, knowing that many authors are going through uncertain times. Due to fears of loss of employment or funding, there may be an increase in author requests to remove their names from or redact certain parts of their work in order to comply with new policies. […]