Stalwart journal publisher Springer Nature is asking researchers to buy $49 AI-generated "Media Kits" to summarize and promote their work.

Additional context for non-scientists:

Nature is the highest-cited (extremely high impact factor, a.k.a. how many times the average paper in a journal gets cited) basic sciences journal, and is one of the most-cited only behind some clinical study-specific journals like Lancet. Nature is also widely regarded as one of the (if not the) most elite journals to publish in. Lots of scientists’ careers hinge on them publishing papers in journals like Nature or Science.

Springer Nature also operates a lot of Nature-branded journals (like Nature Genetics, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Protocols) that are commonly regarded as some of the best field-specific journals. Not to mention Scientific American, a highly rigorous science news source aimed at the general public.

  • zlatiah@lemmy.worldOP
    17·
    1 day ago

    Isn’t it the publisher’s job to promote their work

    You are correct

    What are the publishers even doing at this point?

    I… honestly don’t know. But with how the academic bureaucracy works, a lot of people will be stuck in the system for the time being as it’s extremely difficult to have a grass-roots movement to move away from Springer Nature; academia is hard enough and there’s no way junior academics would willingly sabotage their careers that way… So I have no clue.