04142015 SSP Webinar: The World Is Flat For Scholarly Publishing - Caitlin Meadows

1. The World is Flat for
Scholarly Publishing
Caitlin Meadows SSP Webinar April 2015

2. • China is a rapidly growing market which is attractive to Western
publishers. It is also highly competitive.
• Period of integration from 2000s saw more rapid expansion and
integration. More collaboration with Western presses, and desire by
authors to be published in high-impact Western journals
• What are their goals?
• develop international impact of research and publications
Why China?

3. • Mismatch between volume of submissions and subscriptions
(sometimes volume over quality); how to position titles ‘beyond the impact
factor’
• ‘To consortia or not to consortia?’ (NSTL, CALIS)
• Untapped potential in other market segments – Tier 1, Tier 2, corporate
• Potential from OA/APCs
• Society membership potential
• ‘Flatlining’ of revenue/market saturation?
• Opportunities for ebooks or different content streams (e.g. reprints)?
Common Publisher Assertions

4. R&D spending, selected countries 2000–2015; the dotted lines indicate projections, based on announced targets.
Source: Knowledge, networks and nations: Global scientific collaboration in the 21st century,
The Royal Society, 2011

5. Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC) report
(Sep 26, 2014): Chinese authors published 1.37 million papers in
international journals from 2004 to Sep 2014
Increased of 19.8% compared to 2013, with the same rank (2nd)
China’s total expenditure on research and development (R&D) has increased
by 23% a year on average over the past decade.
According to Premier Li Keqiang’s speech at the opening session of the
annual National People’s Congress, the central government’s expenditure on
science and technology in 2014 was set at US$43.6 billion (267.4 billion yuan
renminbi) – an 8.9% rise on 2013
Authorship and Readership – and Revenue

6. 1. Peking University
2. Tsinghua University
3. Renmin University of China
4. Fudan University
5. Wuhan University
6. Shanghai Jiao Tong University
7. Beijing Normal University
8. Zhongshan University
9. Zhejiang University
10.Nanjing University
Source: Chinese University Alumni Association 2014 report
© Adrian Stanley
Top 10 Chinese Universities
Consider the opportunities
emerging from
‘Project 211’

7. • Project 211 is a government-organized project to help form national key
universities and colleges
• Started in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of
China, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level
universities in China and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development
• There are currently 113 universities/institutions in the 211 Project. These have
met certain scientific, technical, and human resources standards and offer
advanced degree programmes
• Important target list for ‘Tier 1’ market
• Demarcation of ‘Tier 1’ and ‘Tier 2’
• Will this affect the publishing landscape..?
Project 211

8. China’s 12th 5-year plan announced in 2011. Development of 7 key
industries:
• New energy – solar, wind, nuclear
• Energy conservation and environmental protection
• Biotechnology – drugs/medical devices
• New materials
• New IT
• High-end equipment manufacture
• Clean-energy vehicles
http://www.kpmg.com/cn/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/publicationseries/5-years-plan/pages/default.aspx
Future Trends

9. 9
Chinese Speak a Different Language…
Consider what to translate/not
Social media
Direct engagement

10. Brand Awareness
• Local language material (librarians/researchers/discoverability)
• Social media (Weibo, WeChat)
• YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are blocked in China (LinkedIn not)
• Local language websites .cn domain names, local search (Baidu)
• Attending conferences (often pay to speak)
• Education events (how to publish) – way to engage authors
• Author services – language editing, help to publish, helpdesk services
• Equal importance to subscription-based and OA titles
• Society membership campaigns/market research to assess what
members/authors/readers really want
10

11. Brand Awareness
11

12. Open Access Developments
Mandates announced in May 2014
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
- Requires its researchers and graduate students to deposit final, peer-reviewed
manuscripts of research articles into the open access repositories of their
respective institutes within 12 months of their official publication in
academic journals;
- Encourages researchers to deposit previously published articles into their
respective institutional repositories as well;
- Authorizes libraries and information departments to develop detailed open
access guidelines in accordance with copyright laws.
• National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
- Requires researchers to deposit final, peer-reviewed manuscripts of research
articles into NSFC repository within 12 months of their official publication;
- To build NSFC institutional repository.
12

13. Co-publishing Opportunities
13
Can act as a ‘bridge’ to the market, but research goals in advance
• Co-publishing with a Chinese publisher (Chinese ISSN)
• Can be distributed via the postal system
• Subscription fee can be charged
• Advertising
• Industry sponsored ‘best of’ with a local partner
• Local partner does not have to be a ‘Chinese’ publisher
• Single or multiple sponsor options
• Distribution typically via sales reps
• ‘Import’ model
• Mail journal into China (from Hong Kong or elsewhere)
• Assigned ‘regular’ ISSN

14. Pulling all the data together to make a long-term plan and commitment to China
What is your impact on and with China ?
 Sales (market analysis, gap): Consortia? Direct? Corporate?
 Online usage (including OA content, analytics)
 Local editorial board members (active)
 Chinese authors/co-authors
 Attending/organizing local meetings
 Local language material/website, what aspects to promote, social media
 Local language editions – using connections
 Trusted local staff, contacts and partners
 Your educational outreach (systems/training)
 How you are viewed in China, your reputation

15. Develop a strategic plan for you to progress your aims in the
Chinese academic community
Guanxi
China Footprint

16. Caitlin Meadows
Publishing Services Director
The Charlesworth Group
caitlin.meadows@charlesworth-group.com
www.charlesworth-group.com
(Case studies available to download)
Thank you!