This past June we looked at innovation in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) publishing. This month, we turn our attention to advancements in book publishing in the Sciences. Joining us for the next four episodes is Harmen van Paradijs, Vice President STM Books Publishing & Books Business Optimization at Springer Nature, who shares Springer’s publishing strategies in the evolving landscape. Examining AI’s impact on scholarly communication workflows, Harmen reflects on authors’ adoption of AI tools, potential standardization of AI policies, and concerns from libraries on research integrity and AI.

In this first episode, Harmen provides a broad look at Springer’s approach to innovative publishing in the Sciences, including examples of the publisher updating its manuscript submission process and procedure for alt text creation to better meet author needs. In addition, Harmen talks open access, advocating for frequent communication with authors on available OA pathways and funding opportunities. Last, Harmen chats about digital book publishing in STEM; although Springer makes all books available as an ebook and in print no matter the discipline, he acknowledges that STEM authors tend to be more comfortable working in digital formats.

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