@article{GU2025, 
author = {Liping GU and Cainv LU},
title = {Transformation of the Publishing Ecology of Major International Academic Publishing Groups and Its Implications},
year = {2025},
journal = {Science-Technology & Publication},
volume = {44},
number = {11},
pages = {37-49},
keywords = {international academic publishing groups, publishing ecology, artificial intelligence, open access},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.16510/j.cnki.kjycb.20251203.001},
doi = {10.16510/j.cnki.kjycb.20251203.001},
abstract = {The international scholarly communication ecosystem is undergoing a profound transformation. This study examines the strategic responses of five leading academic publishers—Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and SAGE—from 2022 to 2025. By analyzing corporate annual reports, official press releases, policy documents, and industry whitepapers, this research identifies three interconnected trajectories reshaping the global publishing ecology. First, strategic transformation and business restructuring have accelerated. While overall revenues for most publishing groups remain resilient or show growth, the compositions of these revenues reflect a decisive pivot away from traditional subscription-based publishing. Traditional subscription-based publishing is approaching saturation, evidenced by stable or slightly declining shares of total revenue. Growth is now driven by diversification strategies: aggressive acquisitions target adjacent services such as research workflow tools, data analytics platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions; divestitures of non-core assets sharpen focus on scholarly research; substantial research and development (R & D) investment fuels AI integration across discovery, peer review, writing assistance, and plagiarism / image detection; and strategic expansion into emerging markets (Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East) is vigorously pursued through transformative agreements and localized partnerships. Second, the transition toward Open Access (OA) is steadily accelerating, albeit accompanied by ever-changing models and emerging challenges. There has been a notable surge in the signing of Transformative Agreements, peaking around 2023. These agreements have emerged as the favored approach for facilitating large-scale OA conversion, typically structured as multi-year, consortium-based "Read & Publish" deals, such as the DEAL agreements in Germany. Publishers also experiment with alternative OA pathways like Subscribe to Open, Pledge to Open, Direct to Open, Flip it Open, and Purchase to Open, as well as collective funding models and diamond OA initiatives. Efforts are made to include smaller institutions in OA frameworks. However, sustainability concerns persist. Article Processing Charge (APC) inflation continues, with differential pricing based on Creative Commons licenses or speed of service emerging. Third, engagement in scholarly ecosystem governance has intensified. Recognizing their pivotal role, publishers are investing heavily in research integrity infrastructure: developing and deploying AI tools to detect paper mills, image manipulation, and AI-generated text; participating in global initiatives like United2Act; and collaborating on authorship guidelines. Service optimization for authors and librarians includes AI-powered peer review matching, manuscript transfer services, reduced decision times, writing assistants, code sharing integration, and training resources for AI literacy. Drawing on these international experiences, this paper proposes strategic recommendations for China's academic publishing industry. It is suggested that China should leverage its institutional advantages to build autonomous and controllable intelligent publishing platforms through technological empowerment. Regarding the OA pathway, prioritizing non-APC/BPC models, such as diamond OA and collaborative funding mechanisms, is crucial for developing a sustainable and inclusive system. Furthermore, in terms of governance mechanisms, proactive participation in international rule-making is essential to enhance China's discourse power in global academic communication. The ultimate goal is to construct a new academic communication ecosystem that is open, sustainable, and globally influential.}
}