News: Academic Publishing Weekly

Gold open access takes the crown, publishers update AI guidelines, and the latest Pulse of the Library report

Posted on September 11, 2026 in News

Bloomsbury Announces Five-Year Leadership Succession Plan

London-based Bloomsbury Publishing Plc announced a five-year leadership succession plan following founder and Chief Executive Nigel Newton’s transition into an Executive Chairman role. Newton founded Bloomsbury forty years ago, took it public in 1994, and opened Bloomsbury US in 1998. The company reported revenues of £326 million ($441 million) with profit of £45 million ($61 million) at its fiscal year end of February 2026. Bloomsbury expects the search for the new Chief Executive to last two years. Meanwhile, John Bason will shift from Chairman to Deputy Chairman as well as Senior Independent Director while also overseeing the search, during which the company will consider external and internal candidates. Once a new Chief Executive is hired, Newton will remain in his Executive Chairman role for another three years to “ensure a smooth and successful transition,” per the announcement. Assuming that all happens in the five years, Newton will then become Non-Executive Chairman.

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Oxford and Springer Nature Update AI Journal Guidelines

Oxford University Press updated its guidelines on AI use for authors and editors, “including a policy outlining what AI use should be disclosed when preparing manuscripts for [its] journals.” The update follows a global survey of more than 2,600 researchers on AI policies and disclosure practices; close to 75 percent of respondents “revealed they were unclear what AI use they should disclose,” with only 36 percent “recording their AI use during their research.” The survey also investigated attitudes toward AI according to discipline, trust in AI-generated outputs, and common AI use cases in research. OUP isn’t the only publisher updating its guidelines. Springer Nature launched an AI framework for its journals, sharing how researchers, reviewers, and editors can distinguish between “low risk” AI applications and “uses that could have a more significant influence on research or publishing decisions.” The low risk applications include cleaning up data or grammar or spelling checks, while higher risk applications are those that could “influence interpretation, evaluation or decision-making” and therefore require more human oversight. The framework still prohibits certain uses—such as, writing peer reviews or interpretating data—and emphasizes proper disclosure protocols.

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Among OA Formats, Gold OA Shines Brightest

New data from the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM) shows that gold open access reached a record share of global research publishing in 2025, accounting for 44% of journal articles, reviews, and conference papers, or nearly 2 million articles. Gold OA has quadrupled over the past decade, while transformative agreements supported more than 338,000 OA publications last year. STM says the market is now entering a more mature phase, with gold OA continuing to outpace subscription-only publishing even as rapid growth in research output from countries including China and India changes the overall publishing mix. Not surprising then are the findings from a white paper from Springer Nature called “From Access to Impact: How open access shapes research reach, citations, and global visibility”. According to the report, gold OA “continues to be associated with greater reach and a stronger impact compared to non-OA and green OA articles.” Research Information points out that “gold OA articles receive almost seven times more downloads per research article than non-OA articles and attract 50% more citations on average.”

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The Latest Pulse of the Library Report and CCC Funder Data Becomes Available

Clarivate released its Pulse of the Library 2026 report, showing geographical gaps in AI adoption. Based on responses from more than 1,800 librarians around the world, the report found that Mainland China has higher and more robust levels of AI implementation compared to the US; US libraries with “moderate or active implementation” increased from 5 percent in 2024 to 11 percent in 2026, “the lowest of any region, and those reporting no plans or not actively pursuing AI remain[ed] stable (36%, compared to 38% in 2024).” The report also demonstrated a stalling of AI confidence and adoption in the past year, as a third of libraries appear stuck in “the exploration and evaluation stage.” Findings also explore policy, productivity with AI, and capacity issues for libraries tasked with learning AI skills and tools. Next, Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) funder data will be made available in Ringgold Organizations, adding 21,000 funder records to the platform. Part of the CCC Scholarly Communications Suite, Ringgold offers persistent identifier (PID) solutions for publishers by helping to “describe complex relationships among parties in the scholarly communications ecosystem.” CCC stated that the move will add “more accurate funder data to improve publishing workflows” and “unlock insights into the funding landscape.”

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Study Examining AI’s Impact on Scholarly Information Discovery Enters Phase II

Taming the Crocodile, an initiative launched by research platform Kudos to measure the impact AI his having on the search and discovery of scholarly content has entered its second phase. The project will now develop a draft industry code of practice for metadata and AI discoverability, benchmark how publishers are responding to AI-driven discovery, and study how researchers find and evaluate information when using AI tools. EBSCOhost has joined as a headline sponsor alongside Wiley, Emerald Publishing, Springer Nature and Silverchair, with several other major scholarly publishers and organizations continuing their support. A Phase II report is expected by the end of 2026.

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AUPresses Teams Up with PBS and AI Use in Audiobook Production

The Association of University Presses (AUPresses) announced a year-long partnership with PBS Books “that invites audiences to explore the outstanding books, distinguished authors, and compelling ideas published by its member presses.” A digital series available on YouTube, the PBS Books website, and other platforms, Uncovered will interview university press authors, highlight relevant books, and offer resources for librarians and educators on the interview topics. The series will kick off September 15 in an episode on Hispanic heritage and culture in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Next, a new white paper, released by Frankfurter Buchmesse and compiled by Dosdoce.com, investigates the use of artificial intelligence in audio production. Looking at audiobooks, audio dramas, and podcasts, the global survey reveals, if not a growing adoption, then an increasing curiosity around the use of AI tools in the audio infrastructure. For example, while 85 percent of respondents “use AI in at least one phase” of audio production, a staunch 15 percent use zero. The survey also examines where in the audiobook production phases AI is used, barriers to scaling AI use, and criteria for choosing tools.

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Independent Press Top 5 Bestsellers: Nonfiction
The American Booksellers Association and the Independent Publishers Caucus recently collaborated on an independent bestsellers list, which includes books from independent presses and sold in indie bookshops. Below are the top five nonfiction titles this week. Find this week’s full list of fiction and nonfiction independent bestsellers.

1. The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore (Liveright)
2. Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature by Emily Wilson (Liveright)
3. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions)
4. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon (Liveright)
5. Guinness World Records 2027 by Guinness World Records (Guinness World Records)

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