Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Our Special Interest Groups bring together a vibrant community of over 500 professionals from across the scholarly publishing landscape. They provide a space for open discussion, collaboration, and shared learning, helping to strengthen connections across the industry.
Encouraging engagement and knowledge sharing across scholarly publishing
Open to both ALPSP members and the wider scholarly publishing community, these groups are free to join and designed to encourage meaningful engagement. Whether you’re looking to explore emerging challenges, exchange ideas with peers, or contribute your expertise, our SIGs offer a welcoming environment to do so.
Main aims of the groups
- Foster stronger engagement and collaboration across like-minded scholarly communities,
- Explore key industry challenges, unpacking the issues that matter most,
- Build meaningful peer networks, with opportunities to share experiences, insights, and real-world case studies,
- Identify practical approaches and solutions to shared challenges,
- Share learnings across the wider scholarly publishing community.
About the groups
SIGs are led by small groups of dedicated volunteers and typically meet online, making it easy to connect and take part from any location. They are open to both members and non-members, and each SIG will be led by at least one ALPSP member. Communication and collaboration take place via a dedicated platform, helping conversations and resources remain accessible between meetings.
All groups operate within ALPSP’s governance framework, and participants are asked to adhere to the ALPSP Code of Conduct to help ensure a respectful and inclusive environment.
Our SIGs
How to Join a SIG
Joining a SIG is quick and easy. Use the button below to head over to the ALPSP SIGs platform, browse the SIGs under Subgroups, then choose the SIG you'd like to join. Click Join This Group and complete the short form. Once your request has been approved, you'll be able to take part in discussions, receive updates, and connect with colleagues who share your interests. Please note that when you subscribe to a Special Interest Group, your email address will be visible to the group's leaders.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Focusing on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scholarly publishing. Generative AI is a strong force for change that we should understand, develop, and apply appropriately. The explosion of generative AI has important implications for academic publishing across all levels.
Content Discovery
This group brings together publishing professionals to share experiences and best practices for optimising discoverability of scholarly content, and to discuss current and emerging trends and needs in the discovery space.
Marketing Maestros
(Senior Level Marketers)
Our SIG provides a unique platform for senior leaders to connect, collaborate, and address pressing issues outside of industry events where marketing topics are often overlooked.
Open Peer Review
This special interest group aims to provide a forum for those working or interested in open peer review to meet, reflect, share experiences and exchange ideas, especially those who work in small teams, or even individually.
Production and Publishing Operations
This group focuses on the production aspect of academic publishing, from acceptance to publication. This includes, but is not limited to, content management workflows, manufacturing, design, tools and technology.
Research Integrity
This SIG will focus on opportunities for cross-stakeholder collaboration on research integrity initiatives. It will educate on new solutions, emerging threats, and create the chance for publishing professionals to share and agree on best practice.
The SDGs and Publishing
This group offer a supportive and encouraging environment for members to talk about their needs and experiences, and share resources, examples and ideas.
Continuous Improvement
Aiming to explore business improvement techniques and methodologies, and how they can support the publishing industry to achieve organisational excellence.
Early Career
Aiming to bring together individuals across scholarly publishing who identify as ‘Early Career Professionals’, to help foster a community and create networking and development opportunities. It is also open and welcoming to those who may not be in their first jobs, but who have recently moved into scholarly publishing from other industries.
Marketing Connected
(All Marketers)
It can often be lonely working in marketing, so having the ability to discuss industry topics and trends with others outside of your organization is imperative. It also helps us do better marketing together, to ultimately benefit the community we service by sharing best practices and lessons learned.
Open Access Books
The group is designed to be a publisher-focused community, covering a range of common issues and themes within the Open Research landscape.
Researchers
This group aims to explore ways for researchers to engage more widely with publishers, such as ALPSP members, through more direct interaction. This information may be used to improve products and services, or by third parties in anonymized reports.
Sales, Commercial and Business Development
This group is relevant to anyone in sales, business development or commercial management from entry level executives to commercial leaders. It aims to provide a platform to celebrate sales as a function, exchange career advice, meet role models and facilitate specialist mentorship opportunities.
