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The October issue of Learned Publishing (Vol. 37, Issue 4) is now available, highlighting developments and challenges within scholarly publishing.

This issue includes articles on key topics such as open access (OA), research integrity, and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field.

Three original articles discuss the topic of open access, including Nicholas et al. (CIBER Research, UK), who investigated how early career researchers are navigating OA publishing costs. Berni and Zucchini’s work (Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy) analyses transformative agreements and OA policies, while Chen and Liu (Shanghai University, China) provide a regional focus on China’s gold OA dynamics, offering insights into national disparities and development paths.

Examining the scholarly impact of publications is always a topic of keen interest among our authors, and in their cross-domain study, Wijewickrema (Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka) evaluates research performance through traditional and altmetric lenses, covering fields from medicine to the social sciences. Rasuli and Nabavi (Shiraz University, Iran) also delve into the variations in data captured by different alternative metrics platforms.

Research integrity is a pivotal underpinning of scholarly publishing, and in their research, Hedlund and Lindberg (University of Gävle, Sweden) assess statistical software reporting in nursing research, underscoring transparency needs across academia. On the global stage, Kuzhabekova (University of Calgary, Canada) explores how sanctions on Russia have affected regional research output, while Becker (The George Washington University, DC, USA) examined early trends in how medical publishers handled COVID-19 research, with an emphasis on lessons to be learned.

On the topic of peer review – a process that is under increasing scrutiny – Liu et al. (Sichuan University, China) sought to gain insight into the status of peer review guidelines in international surgical journals and to offer guidance for their future development, while Farber (Emek Jezreel Academic College, Israel) examines AI’s utility in reviewer selection, advocating for its role in increasing peer review efficiency.

Artificial intelligence’s impact on publishing appears in two studies by Nicholas et al., discussing generative AI’s potential to shape early career researchers’ practices. Early career researchers are also the focus of two further original papers, including the work of Frandsen and Nicolaisen (University of Southern Denmark, Denmark) in which they sort to define and operationalize what qualifies a person as an early career researcher, and in research from Nicholas et al. examining the impact of the pandemic on this generation of researchers.

This issue’s opinion pieces also offer some thought-provoking perspectives: Adegbilero-Iwari (Afe Babalola University, Nigeria) critiques APC-based OA models in sub-Saharan Africa, advocating for affordable, region-specific publishing solutions, while Gulumbe (Federal University Birnin-Kebbi, Nigeria) warns of AI-induced errors in publications, calling for editors to boost diligence. Vuong and Nguyen (Phenikaa University, Vietnam) explore the role of rejection in scholarly knowledge production, highlighting how rejection shapes research quality and credibility.

Finally, in this issue of Learned Publishing we are pleased to celebrate the winners of the ALPSP Awards 2024, which were announced on 12 September at the ALPSP Annual Conference dinner. Congratulations to all the winners, for your important and innovative work within the publishing field!