As we bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to reflect on the remarkable strides we’ve made in the pursuit of excellence in scientific publishing. This has been the first year we’ve set out to achieve the goals within our ambitious 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. Let’s take a journey through the significant accomplishments and initiatives that defined our collective efforts this year.
Reflecting on our collective journey in 2023
A commitment to quality
Our three gold open access journals (Arctic Science, Drone Systems and Applications, and FACETS) proudly received the prestigious DOAJ Seal, a testament to our commitment to quality content.
Eleven of our journals embraced the principles of Plan S and have been awarded transformative journal status, which demonstrates our commitment to transitioning these journals to being fully open access.
Our publishing platform and website have been migrated to the cloud to deliver a more stable and speedy experience for authors, researchers, and visitors. A robust system of automatic and manual checks has been implemented to ensure the highest scientific rigour and trustworthiness of our published content.
Half of our suite of journals saw a reduction in the time till first decision, with a quarter of those journals boasting a 25 per cent decrease. This showcases our commitment to efficient and timely editorial processes.
Canadian Science Publishing is on a journey to become a fully open-access publisher.
Opening doors to knowledge
Expanding our reach, we established five open access partnerships, serving a network of 60 institutions globally. This includes continuing partnerships with the University of California Digital Library and the Federal Sciences Library Network, a newly enhanced partnership with the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, and two new agreements with University of Oslo and ETH Zurich.
Our 22 journals proudly showcased the work of 7,303 authors, through the publication of over 1,600 articles, including 450 open access articles. Additionally, we curated 100 collections and special issues this year. This resulted in an annual total of 5.4 million article downloads worldwide, illustrating the far-reaching impact of these scholarly contributions.
This marked our second year of membership in the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA). This membership solidifies our commitment to high standards in open access publishing.
As a member of the Canadian Association of Learned Journals, we provided a crucial statement on the Tri-Agency’s review of the Open Access Policy on Publications, reinforcing our dedication to accessible and open research.
During Open Access Week, our first-ever CSP-hosted webinar “For Open Science, Not for Profit” brought the community together to discuss and advance open science. We also co-hosted two impactful webinars with partners from the Society for Open, Reproducible and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (SORTEE) and Science Writers and Communicators of Canada.
Connecting with our community
We’re exceptionally grateful for all our dedicated volunteers, comprised of 797 editorial board members and 4,891 reviewers.
Our editorial team actively engaged with our publishing community, attending a total of 36 conferences during 2023. Author workshops hosted throughout the year reached hundreds of early career researchers and faculty, providing educational opportunities and promoting dialogue on publishing in academia.
We maintained partnerships with 32 societies and established a few new partnerships with organizations this year. A new partnership with SORTEE has further enhanced open science initiatives across our portfolio of journals and promotes education and outreach to scientists worldwide. Arctic Science has partnered with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) to establish an Early Career Researcher Board, allowing ECRs to gain experience in peer review, while bringing a more diverse voice to the journal. Our portfolio of 22 journals is now accessible to Canadians who are doing critical work on social issues including poverty alleviation, homelessness, education, and health care through a new partnership with the Community Scholars Program.
The Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences celebrated its 60th anniversary this year and commemorated the occasion during the Joint Annual Meeting of the Geological Association of Canada, Mineralogical Association of Canada and Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits.
The culmination of two years of dedicated effort resulted in the publication of the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual, a book produced for the Canadian Geotechnical Society.
A knowledge translation initiative was launched by Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism promoting the application of research insights. Members of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology engaged in reading articles and answering skill-testing questions, contributing to their accreditation.
An Elements of Science series of posts was published on our blog, featuring practical tips on a range of author-related topics derived from our editorial board members and other experts from the global research community.
Contributing to a sustainable future
We eliminated print runs for our journals for the 2023 subscription year and onwards, which also eliminated the requirement for a facility to store our printed materials.
Sixteen of our journals joined a global movement of over 200 journals calling on policymakers to treat biodiversity loss and the climate crisis as a global health emergency.
As signatories of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), this year we celebrated DORA’s decade of advocacy for redefining research assessment.
Breaking barriers in EDIA progress and inclusive excellence
As a not-for-profit, mission-driven organization, we’ve been taking action to build a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture both within the company and within our journal communities. Internally, we completed an audit and review of our current practices related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. This project will carry over into the new year.
Ongoing efforts to gather demographic data on editors recruited underline our commitment to fostering diversity within our editorial teams.
A name change policy was introduced to support confidential post-publication name changes for authors who change their name.
We’re counting down our most popular reads of the year! Follow the hashtag #BestOfCSP to see what caught readers attention during 2023.
As we reflect on a year filled with accomplishments, challenges, and growth, we express gratitude to all contributors for empowering individuals with science, fostering curiosity, and inspiring global progress. Thank you for being an integral part of our journey. We eagerly anticipate the opportunities ahead in 2024!
