Strengthening trust in a changing research landscape

Note from Antonia Seymour, Chief Executive Officer – IOP Publishing 

Looking back on 2025, it is clear we have reached a pivotal point for scholarly communication. The pressures acting on the research ecosystem are intensifying and the decisions we make now as publishers, funders, institutions and societies will shape the credibility and resilience of science for years to come.  

There is a growing emphasis for publishing to be guided by purpose and values that always put the needs of the research community first. As a society publisher, and a founding member of the Purpose-Led Publishing coalition, we already work in this way. Our publishing activity exists purely to serve science and the funds we generate are reinvested into the scientific community. This highlights report shows how that purpose has shaped our work throughout 2025. 

Generative AI has the potential to be transformative, enabling discovery and streamlining editorial and publishing workflows. But it has also created vulnerabilities. The speed at which unreliable or artificially generated content is now being submitted is greater than anything we have previously had to address. As you will see from this report, we have continued to strengthen the way we respond, and the work of our editorial and peer review teams has been central to maintaining confidence and trust in a changing landscape. 

We continue to make our content open access, with 51% of our journal content in 2025 published as open access. The direction is positive, but the transition is unfolding at different speeds around the world. National policies, funding landscapes and research priorities all influence how quickly researchers can adopt open access routes and the pace has begun to slow after several years of stronger growth. We remain focused on supporting researchers and institutions as they navigate their own paths toward greater openness. The examples throughout this report reflect that commitment. 

While the value of equity, diversity and inclusion is being questioned in some quarters, our stance remains clear. Inclusivity strengthens science, supporting its reliability, creativity and relevance. Some examples of the ways we are helping to create space for a broader range of perspectives are outlined in this report. 

What 2025 has made clear is that adaptability, transparency and purpose must guide how our sector as it evolves. We need to address emerging risks with collective focus and to champion our values and beliefs even when they are contested. I remain optimistic. Across the scientific community there is a willingness to confront difficult questions and a determination to protect the credibility of the research record and a shared belief in the essential role that science plays in society. That is the foundation we will build on and I hope you enjoy reading about some of the progress we have made. 

New AI journal
Through our valued partnership with the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, we launched AI for Science, a new diamond open access journal. The journal features high-impact original research, reviews and perspectives that highlight the transformative applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in driving scientific innovation.

Ebooks
In 2025, we added 88 new ebook titles to our ebook portfolio, and overall IOPP ebooks were downloaded 1.4 million times.

Advancing research data sharing
Our new open data policy, introduced for two environmental research journals supports greater transparency, reproducibility and trust in science. Learn more.

Introduction of DOIs for supplementary materials
The introduction of DOIs for supplementary data and materials in 2025 ensures that all the research outputs we publish—not just the main article—are permanently identifiable and citable. This strengthens transparency, supports best practices in research integrity and provides authors with formal recognition for a wider range of contributions.

Dedicated IOPscience pages for supplementary content
We also launched dedicated pages on IOPscience for supplementary data and related materials. These pages provide a clear and accessible home for additional research outputs, improving discoverability for readers and increasing the visibility of authors’ broader work. By organizing supplementary content in this way, we help researchers share their findings more openly and maximize the impact of all associated materials.

Service excellence  

We continue to invest in tools, partnerships and policies that make publishing more rewarding for authors, reviewers and readers alike. Our commitment to service excellence ensures that researchers can access and share their work with ease to maximize the impact and visibility of their research.

The introduction of the new Get Full Text Research (GetFTR) browser extension gives authors seamless access to full‑text articles across the internet. This helps researchers reach the content they need with fewer barriers. Learn more.

Our collaboration with ResearchGate grew to include additional journals and an upgraded open access agreement, increasing visibility and reach for our authors across one of the world’s largest research networks. Learn more.

Industry collaboration
We continue to collaborate across the industry to help safeguard research integrity, contributing to sector‑wide initiatives and sharing expertise through a range of activities, including:

• Supporting the STM Integrity Hub to share knowledge and early detection tactics of issues such as paper‑mill activity.
• Leadership support through our Chief Publishing Officer, Miriam Maus, who, as part of the STM Board, helped shape the STM report on research integrity, Safeguarding Scholarly Communications.
• Contributing to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE) Publishing Ethics Week.
• Speaking at STM’s Research Integrity Days.

Strengthening sector standards
Our participation in the National Information Standards Organization’s (NISO) new Communication of Retractions, Removals and Expressions of Concern (CREC) recommendations helps to standardize how retraction information is shared across platforms. We are incorporating this guidance to ensure retractions and corrections are communicated clearly. IOPP is also represented on the NISO CRediT taxonomy working group, which is driving wider adoption of the standard.

Sharing knowledge across publishers
By chairing the Crossref Similarity Check Advisory Group, we bring publishers together from across the industry to advise Crossref and Turnitin on service improvements.

Using technology to support integrity
We continued to invest in technology supporting the publication of trusted content and are now applying a range of new tools in our peer review workflows, including Signals, Alchemist Review, ImageTwin, and EthicsGen, to help identify potential issues earlier and support authors in preparing clear, consistent ethical statements. We have collaborated closely with these tool providers, offering feedback and guidance to help refine and enhance their systems.

Improving trust at the point of discovery
Retraction and errata notices are now displayed directly on article pages, using data from Crossref and Retraction Watch. This service, provided by GetFTR, ensures readers can see critical updates at a glance and avoid relying on outdated or corrected work.

Co-review
The option to review a manuscript with a colleague has been used more than 5000 times since we introduced this initiative in June 2023. Co-review supports reviewers by allowing early-career researchers to build peer‑review skills alongside more experienced colleagues, while ensuring both contributors receive formal recognition for their work. This helps to alleviate reviewing pressures on senior researchers. The initiative was awarded the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) EPIC Gold Award which celebrates excellence in publishing education and training initiatives.

Reviewer feedback
Our feedback programme supports reviewers with constructive insights to develop their skills and adopt best practice. Since its introduction in November 2023, it has delivered over 70,000 pieces of feedback to support and strengthen our reviewer community.

Trusted Reviewers
In 2025, more than 4000 researchers achieved IOP Trusted Reviewer status, bringing the total number of recognized reviewers to 20,000—the very best peer reviewers in the physical sciences. To extend our appreciation, all IOP Trusted Reviewers can now also receive complimentary IOP Associate Membership.

Values and culture   

Our values and culture shape everything we do: from how we support our people to how we operate our business and engage with the global scientific community. We are committed to a culture that is inclusive, responsible and forward‑looking, ensuring that our work delivers long‑term benefit for society and the planet.

In 2025, we strengthened our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) by expanding initiatives that support colleagues, reviewers, authors and editorial board members.

Supporting researchers from low‑income economies
Supported by our discounts and waiver programme, 12% of the articles accepted by our open access journals in 2025 were from authors based in lower‑income economies.

Accurate author representation
Our name change policy was used 24 times last year, helping researchers update their published records. This reflects our commitment to ensuring authors can be accurately represented throughout their careers and demonstrates the demand for inclusive publishing practices.

Supporting diversity in the workplace
Our six Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) including the Cultural Diversity, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiversity and Disability, Women@IOPP, Family and Carers, and Interfaith group, together with our Mental Health First Aiders and Neurodiversity Champions, continued to grow in confidence and impact throughout 2025.

Around one‑fifth of colleagues are now actively engaged across these groups and have taken part in specialist training initiatives to support and educate colleagues.

Group-wide EDI conference
Another highlight was our first joint EDI and Wellbeing Conference with IOP colleagues, which brought together more than 100 people involved in ERGs and EDI projects. We will continue building on this momentum in 2026, creating further opportunities for collaboration and shared learning across the group.

Mentorship 
We completed our final mentoring cohort with Envision, which supports underrepresented young people in the world of work and will continue supporting local schools directly through tailored careers initiatives. 

Our new mentoring partnership with Not Impossible has enabled colleagues to support young people through virtual micro‑placements, with students gaining shadowing, CV and LinkedIn support. The programme has already delivered five successful virtual work‑experience placements. 

Intern offering 
We expanded our intern offering, welcoming our first UK‑based intern to the Conference Series team and continuing two ongoing placements in our Beijing office across Marketing and Publishing. Our Work Experience Week brought three A‑level students into the Bristol office, offering hands‑on exposure to teams across the business, culminating in a presentation of their recommendations. 
We also partnered with Winterbourne Academy to deliver two days of workshops, career talks and employability support for two different school groups. 

Pathways into publishing
To broaden access to publishing careers, we co‑hosted a virtual Creative Access event, Breaking into Publishing, where colleagues shared insights on roles ranging from editorial and peer review to open science.  

We also celebrated industry representation through our Women in Tech event, showcasing stories of resilience, career changes and leadership from women across the tech community. 

Colleague development

In 2025, we strengthened our commitment to developing colleagues at every stage of their careers.

Embedding organizational behaviours 
We strengthened our organizational culture by deepening the adoption of our eight core IOPP behaviours across the business. Each month, we spotlighted a behaviour and supported colleagues through live learning events and curated resources on our learning platform.  

Strengthening leadership
A bespoke leadership programme built on our strengths enabled colleagues to deepen their leadership capability and strengthen the behaviours needed for future success. We also piloted our new management development programme, which will be rolled out to all managers in 2026.

Enhancing collaboration
To enhance collaboration and interpersonal awareness, we expanded the use of the Insights Discovery tool across the organization. The tool helps colleagues understand their unique working styles, communication preferences and behavioural patterns, supporting more effective teamwork across departments.