Emerging Trends in Scientific Publishing Insights
Reviewed by the NeucitePress Editorial Board — PhD academics, peer-reviewed journal editors and medical communication specialists.
Last updated: October 2026 • Reviewed by the NeucitePress Editorial Board • Reading time: 4 minutes
Scientific publishing changes slowly in some ways and quickly in others. This page covers three shifts that affect authors now, each tied to a primary source. An earlier version of this page contained a table of open access publication counts for 2015 to 2020, claims about 3D printing and augmented reality in publishing, and statements about the research output of specific countries. None of these was sourced, so we have removed them.
1. Gold open access is now a large share of output
The STM Open Access Dashboard, published by the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers, reports that gold open access reached 44% of global journal articles, reviews and conference papers published in 2025, which it describes as the highest share it has recorded. It also reports that nearly two million research articles were published gold open access in 2025. For authors this means open access is a mainstream route, not a niche one. It also means you should read the licence, the fee (if any) and the funder conditions before you choose a journal.
2. Funders are tightening public access rules
The 2024 NIH Public Access Policy took effect on 1 July 2025. NIH says authors must submit the accepted, peer-reviewed manuscript to PubMed Central upon acceptance, and that it must be publicly available without embargo on the official date of publication. It applies to manuscripts accepted on or after 1 July 2025. If your work is funded by NIH, check the policy and your publisher’s route to compliance before you sign a publishing agreement. Other funders have their own rules, so check yours too.
3. Publishers and ethics bodies are settling rules on AI
COPE, the Committee on Publication Ethics, states that AI tools cannot be credited as authors, because they cannot take responsibility for submitted work. It says authors who use AI to write, create images or analyse data should disclose it, naming the tool and how it was used, and that authors remain fully responsible for their manuscript. The ICMJE recommendations take a similar position. Journals and book publishers add their own detail, so read the policy of the venue you are submitting to. Our guide on AI tools for researchers writing books covers this for book manuscripts.
A note on print on demand
Print on demand means copies are printed as orders arrive instead of in a large upfront print run. For authors, the practical effect is lower upfront cost and the ability to update a book between printings. Platforms differ in print quality options, distribution and terms, so compare them for your own title.
What to do as an author
- Check your funder. Read the public access policy that applies to your grant before you submit.
- Read the journal’s open access terms. Look at the licence, any article processing charge and what version you may deposit.
- Follow the AI policy. Keep a log of any AI tool use and disclose it as the venue requires.
- Plan for the whole route. If you are writing a book or a chapter rather than an article, ask the publisher about peer review, indexing, DOIs and open access terms.
Questions authors ask
Is open access always free for authors?
No. Some open access journals charge article processing fees, and others do not. The STM figure above measures how much output is published gold open access. It does not say who pays.
Do these trends apply to books?
Partly. Some funder rules cover only journal articles, and AI policies for books vary by publisher. Ask your publisher which rules apply to your book or chapter.
Where can I check the figures?
The links in the Sources section below go to the pages we used. Dashboard figures are updated over time, so the current numbers may differ from those quoted here.
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