ATG Interviews Tim Smith

Head of Portfolio Development, IOP Publishing

By Leah Hinds (Executive Director, Charleston Hub <leah@charlestonlibraryconference.com> and Tom Gilson (Associate Editor, Against the Grain) <gilsont@cofc.edu>

IOP Publishing has launched a new open access environmental research journal: Environmental Research: Energy. Dr Tim Smith, Head of Portfolio Development at IOP Publishing, tells us why now is the right time for the new journal to be established.

ATG: Why has IOP Publishing decided to launch a journal dedicated to renewable energy?

TS: The impacts of the climate crisis are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. It’s affecting the whole world like never before. One way we can work towards a greener and more sustainable future is by developing sustainable energy sources. That’s where our new open access journal Environmental Research: Energy comes in. It will cover the important challenges related to energy and finding solutions, from the impact and risks to resilience, mitigation, adaptation, security, and more. As a publisher of leading environmental research, we represent and are guided by the scientific research process. In particular, our series of open access Environmental Research journals play a key role in taking responsibility to do what we can to positively change the trajectory of our planet’s future.

ATG: What can you tell us about the development of the environmental research field?

TS: As the climate crisis has intensified, so too has the environmental research effort and the need for scientific rigour, transparency and trust in the scholarly publishing process. The ongoing increasing interest in environmental science now extends well beyond academia to include engineers, economists, policy influencers as well as the general public, creating a greater-than-ever demand for specialised journals and publishing capacity in this area. Sustainable energy studies alone, just one (very important) facet of the environmental research field, has seen an increase in research output of over 600% in the last ten years.

ATG: What role do you see libraries and librarians playing as the field of environmental research continues to develop?

TS: Librarians, of course, have a crucial function in helping to disseminate and signpost academic research. As this field continues to expand in scope and volume, the role of librarians in making this knowledge known and available to as many people who might benefit from it as possible will continue to be critical. It’s also the case that many libraries and their institutions have now set goals that support environmental change. Promoting research that will help mitigate the effects of global warming and deliver sustainable solutions for the planet will not only support science but the whole scholarly community and global society.

ATG: Do you think there needs to be more journals dedicated to environmental research to match the high volume of research output?

TS: Yes, with the right characteristics as informed by the community, we strongly believe in the importance of environmental research journals and the positive contribution they make in helping to accelerate the process of scientific discovery (as evidenced by the significant growth in this research area). Environmental research journals form the bedrock of trusted knowledge to inform government policies and the new advancements that are required to address the climate crisis.

We know that environmental research studies often overlap, and various traditional research disciplines intertwine within each study. That’s why we offer a whole suite of environmental research journals and are expanding our collection even further. Our Environmental Research series now consists of eight open access journals covering topics from ecology and health to infrastructure, climate and, most recently, sustainable food systems.

ATG: Do you think research output on renewable energy will continue to grow? If so, how will IOP Publishing react to this continued growth?

TS: The output in this research area has grown spectacularly over the last decade and we have a key responsibility in representing and helping to disseminate breakthrough developments that advance the field as broadly as possible. In addition to specialised studies, Environmental Research: Energy particularly encourages multidisciplinary articles that bring together the research disciplines and global stakeholders that are key to the sustainable energy effort. Through our broader Environmental Research series, we are committed to providing an ongoing platform that represents the multidisciplinary nature of environmental research in a way that helps to deliver the changes we need for the sustainability of our planet.

ATG: Why did IOP Publishing decide to make the new journal open access? How many of your other journals are open access?

TS: We believe that research should be made openly available to as many people as possible. Ultimately, the success of the scientific communities that we serve is the measure of our own success as a publisher. Ensuring the widest dissemination and visibility of the research that we publish delivers recognition, impact, and value for the scientific community. The transition to open access is central to our vision of becoming a trusted partner

<https://www.charleston-hub.com/media/atg/> in the advancement of high-quality research that delivers social and economic benefit to the world.

All of IOP Publishing’s proprietary journals now have an open access option and our portfolio now has 25 fully open access journals extending across the sciences.

ATG: How does IOP Publishing make sure everyone who would like to publish in the new environmental journal has the chance to do so? And in doing so, how will you maintain the highest research standards from these authors?

TS: All content published in Environmental Research: Energy will be made openly available for anyone to read. But what is more, we currently also cover all article publication charges so that anyone will be able to publish their valuable and robust environmental research around sustainable energy. We also offer services such as transparent peer review and double anonymous peer review, to reduce barriers to publishing and to ensure the publication process remains as fair, transparent, and objective as possible.