The Publishing Research Consortium is a group of associations and publishers, which supports global research into scholarly communication in order to enable evidence-based discussion.

Our objective is to support work that is scientific and pro-scholarship. Overall, we aim to promote an understanding of the role of publishing and its impact on research and teaching.

Faculty Survey 2009: Key Strategic Insights for Libraries, Publishers, and Societies

This is the latest Ithaka S+R (Ithaka is the body which, amongst other things, runs JSTOR and Portico - S+R is their Strategy and Research arm) survey of academics. They've been doing them every three years since 2000 and map the trends in academics' habits and views on the use of digital materials. Thus each report is a valuable snapshot. Key findings this time include:

• the academic library is increasingly disintermediated in the discovery process, risking irrelevance in one of its core functions
• academics' growing comfort with systems opens up new opportunities for libraries and publishers, and new challenges on preservation
• There remains a fundamental conservatism towards systematic or dramatic change to the scholarly communication system

(Apr 2010)

ALPSP Survey of e-books.

This is the report of a survey undertaken in 2009 to provide a snapshot of what publishers are currently doing in e-books. It charts the tremendous rise in activity as well as the number of titles available, and the (still) relatively small percentage of total sales accounted for by e-books.

(Mar 2010)

Assessing the Future Landscape of Scholarly Communication: an exploration of faculty values and needs in seven disciplines

A study which took place over 2007-2010, from UC Berkeley. A key finding was that traditional cultures in the disciplines still rule. e.g. no evidence that what they call 'tech-savvy' graduate students are showing any inclination to buck the traditions and norms of their disciplines.

(Jan 2010)

Report and Recommendations from the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable.

This is an important report (available from the American Association of Universities (AAU) giving an agreed perspective from almost all participants, from all relevant sectors) on the question of free access to the results of federally funded research)

(January 2010)

Patterns of information use and exchange: case studies or researchers in the life sciences

A Research Information Network (RIN) report from the end of 2009. Its findings are very interesting, if not surprising. They found that researchers follow their own ways of working and these diverge from the 'top-down' policies of funders etc

Overcoming barriers: access to research information content

Another RIN study from late 2009. This is not original research but rather summarises the findings of 5 other studies

Joint statement on research into transitions in scholarly communications

The PRC is one of the signatories of a joint statement which outlines a portfolio of proposed research projects.

(November 2009)

New Report published - Access by UK small and medium-sized enterprises to professional and academic information

The PRC's fifth Research Report studies an often-neglected market segment, that of small businesses.

People in high-tech small buinesses value information more highly, and read more journal articles, than those in larger companies.  Of those that consider information important, 71% felt they had good access, and 60% that it was better than 5 years ago.  However, more than half sometimes had difficulty accessing an article, and there are a number of steps that could be taken to improve access, with corresponding benefits to UK plc.

(September 2009)

Follow-up Peer Review survey

Sense About Science has conducted a follow-up to the PRC's 2007 survey on Peer Review, to identify the preferences and concerns of authors and reviewers and to collate their views on future changes in peer-reviewed publishing.  The analysis, to be published in mid-September, both identifies trends from comparison with the earlier survey, and also explores new issues that are likely to affect editors, publishers, reviewers and authors in the next few years.

(September 2009)