News

Queen Mary University of London is delighted to announce its official support for the Peer Community In (PCI) initiative. This marks a pivotal moment in advancing ethical, transparent, and accessible research practices. Championed by the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS) and the Library Services, this initiative underscores Queen Mary's commitment to fostering innovation and equity in academic publishing while promoting a more inclusive and sustainable research ecosystem.

A dedicated team within SBBS, including Dr Fumagalli, Dr Mielke, and Dr Versace, with the support of Professor Brennan and Professor Mareschal, has led this initiative. The project aims to benefit the entire university by enhancing the research environment and upholding ethical publishing standards at Queen Mary. Notably, the House of Commons' 2023 report on Reproducibility and Research Integrity recognised PCI as a forward-thinking model, stating that it "offers researchers routes for quality control and assessment beyond traditional publication records".

Dr Fumagalli, a PCI representative at Queen Mary, explained, "The PCI initiative redefines traditional academic publishing by offering a model where rigorous peer review is openly conducted and endorsed outside the constraints of conventional commercial frameworks. This approach ensures that high-quality research is freely accessible to both authors and readers." Dr Mielke, the Local Network Lead for the UK Reproducibility Network at Queen Mary, added, "This partnership reflects the university's dedication to embedding Open Science as a cornerstone of its academic mission."

Dr Versace, SBBS's library representative, added, "Our partnership with PCI reflects Queen Mary's core research principles. We are deeply committed to reshaping research dissemination to be more inclusive and equitable, providing greater opportunities for junior authors and all readers within and outside academia."

Jeremey Claridge, Open Research Services Librarian at Queen Mary, celebrated the achievement, noting, "We are pleased to be supporting Peer Community In at this time, which underscores our responsibility as a leading institution to advance open science and empower researchers at all stages of their careers."

The alignment between PCI's principles and Queen Mary's vision exemplifies the university's proactive approach to addressing critical challenges in academic publishing. By stepping away from profit-driven models, Queen Mary's partnership with PCI demonstrates its dedication to ethical research practices that prioritise integrity over commercial gain. Professor Zoltan Dienes (University of Sussex), a PCI board member who recently delivered a talk on PCI and Open Science at Queen Mary, praised the collaboration. Professor Chris Chambers, another co-founder of the PCI Registered Reports initiative, highlighted the transformative potential of this partnership: "This collaboration demonstrates Queen Mary's leadership in equity-driven academic reform. It is inspiring to see such commitment to reshaping how research is shared and recognised globally."

The partnership also contributes directly to maintaining and advancing PCI's platform. PCI's workflow, such as its scheduled review procedure, enhances efficiency. This procedure aligns reviewers before a full manuscript is submitted, reducing initial review times to one week. With editors working voluntarily and PCI's adaptable programming capabilities, the model delivers exceptional value for Queen Mary and the broader research community.

With this initiative, Queen Mary is investing in a long-term vision for how science could operate. If this model supplants the current system, it could liberate substantial resources currently devoted to journal subscriptions, article processing charges, and Read and Publish agreements. This partnership is another step towards a future where rigorous, fully open peer-reviewed research is the norm, making the best use of resources and enhancing global accessibility. This initiative is an important step towards transforming the academic publishing landscape and reinforces Queen Mary's position as a leader in ethical and equitable research practices.

Dr Versace is also collecting expressions of interest on other initiatives and resources on Open Science that could benefit the Queen Mary community, to create a shared record. Feel free to get in touch with her: e.versace@qmul.ac.uk.