Read the full article in The Scholarly Kitchen 

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To address this issue, STM has released a report “Recommendations for a Classification of AI Use in Academic Manuscript Preparation” in September 2025. 

Today, we’re announcing an exciting follow-up activity that addresses this issue from a broader perspective through collaboration with key partners in the academic enterprise.

To support a shared understanding of how AI should be disclosed in research, STM is part of a joint harmonisation initiative to work towards a Global Reporting Standard for AI Disclosure in Research, together with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Science Council (ISC), and the Global Young Academy (GYA) as key partners. This initiative will form the focus track of the World Conference on Research Integrity (3–6 May 2026, Vancouver). 

To ensure that the development of this reporting guideline reflects a broad range of perspectives, STM and the other key partners invite their members to contribute through three consultation rounds — the first round is open now through 28 February 2026: Mapping the needs for AI disclosure, yielding a preferred format.  

To that end, we invite STM members and community to participate in the first consultation round, as it is vital that the format of this standard matches current experiences and expectations of the publishing industry. On behalf of the organising partners, we invite you — as an STM Member Organisation — to participate by taking two actions: 1/ review some preparatory reading and discuss it with colleagues (in the editorial office or beyond) and then 2/ submit a summary of your collective reflections via the form below. 

Access the preparatory questions and reading 

Submit your input here by 28 Feb, 2026

All questions and remarks you may have, can be directed to Bert Seghers via email and/or Hylke Koers via email.  

We appreciate your commitment to this important effort to build a shared, global understanding of AI disclosure in research.

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This draft is the result of a collaborative effort by STM members to support accessible publishing, with a focus on helping authors and publishers write better image descriptions (alt text). Not only does it help prepare for the upcoming ADA Title II update (coming into effect April 2026), it also supports our shared goal of making scholarly content more inclusive and available to all. 

Why a taxonomy? Because alt text isn’t one-size-fits-all. Describing a chart requires different guidance than a medical scan, photograph, or diagram. The taxonomy provides 15 top-level categories — each with definitions, guidance, examples, and subcategories — to help identify image types and write effective descriptions. 

The TFG, formed in early 2025 through STM’s Standards & Technology Committee, includes accessibility experts and publishing professionals from across the US, UK, and Europe. The group has met monthly to build consensus and develop practical tools for our community. 

Download the draft taxonomy here

Explore the interactive tool that complements the taxonomy

The post Making scholarly images more accessible: STM’s draft taxonomy now open for feedback appeared first on STM Association.

Now in its third year (building on the legacy of STM Week), this year’s Innovation & Integrity Days reflected a noticeable shift: more dialogue across traditional boundaries, more urgency around shared challenges, and a stronger sense of common purpose in shaping the future of research integrity and innovation — priorities that reflect this year’s theme “Building Tomorrow’s Research Integrity Framework”.

For those unable to join us in London, here are some of the key takeaways and highlights:

Day 1 Recap

Day 2 Recap

Day One: the STM Innovator Fair

The first day of STM’s Innovation & Integrity Days focused on practical progress in innovation — with a keynote, lightning talks, startup pitches and a panel that explored how technology, infrastructure and collaboration are reshaping research integrity.

In the opening keynote, Professor Rachael Gooberman-Hill (UK Committee on Research Integrity; University of Bristol) set the tone by drawing on her extensive experience to frame research integrity not as a checklist, but as the long-term work of building and maintaining trust — informed by context, relationships, and values.

The lightning talks that followed showcased a wave of innovation already underway — not just isolated tools, but signals of how the ecosystem is adapting. Key themes included:

• Workflow integration: Platforms like KGL’s Smart Publish, Proofig’s PubShield, Enago Reports, ReviewerZero and Hum’s Alchemist Review demonstrated how multiple integrity signals can be brought together in a single editorial interface. DataSeer’s SnapShot tool demonstrated how agentic LLM technology can be leveraged to support the editorial process and Scitility, a Vesalius Innovation Award finalist, added to the picture with article-level risk scoring based on co-authorship patterns and retractions.
• Upstream provenance: Solutions like Veridat’s Bench and VeriMe are moving trust signals earlier in the process — capturing the when, where and how of data creation, and validating researcher identity in a privacy-preserving way. This was echoed in Thesify AI’s pitch — using structured feedback and journal matching to support quality at submission.
• Reviewer capacity and quality: ReviewerOne, Global Campus and SinoScholar (MPS) explored ways to strengthen reviewer pools through better matching, recognition and AI-assisted support. Profectus Academy, the Vesalius Award winner, connects here too — using real-world examples to build reviewer-like feedback into the research grant writing process.
• AI-readiness, risk awareness and trust: From Cashmere’s work on preparing trusted content for LLMs to Otto-SR’s systematic review support and Dandelion’s visual literature mapping, the ecosystem is thinking ahead. AuthentiSci, another Vesalius finalist, approached this from the public trust angle — enabling ORCID-verified researchers to rate and contextualise science reporting.

The innovations on display reflected a shared aim: to embed trust earlier, deeper and more systematically into the research process — supporting not just editors and research integrity staff, but researchers, reviewers and the public.

The day also featured Karger’s Vesalius Innovation Award, spotlighting early‑stage innovation focused on trust and researcher support. Five finalists pitched from more than 100 applications worldwide; you can learn more about the winner Profectus Academy and the other finalists here.

A five-year retrospective on GetFTR offered a compelling testimony of cross-industry collaboration delivering results. Originally launched to streamline access to the version of record from discovery services, GetFTR has evolved into critical infrastructure supporting the discoverability and use of trusted scholarly content in a multitude of ways.

The Fair also created space for practical exchange. Between sessions, attendees connected with exhibitors, explored prototypes and surfaced shared challenges. In parallel, in-person Research Integrity Workshops provided case-based learning in a confidential setting — not covered in this report, but an important part of the day’s impact.

The final session, From Pitch to Partnership, explored how stakeholders assess new ventures. Investors, infrastructure leaders and acquirers shared frank insights: what works, what doesn’t, and how mission-aligned startups can grow without compromising their values.

Taken together, the Innovator Fair pointed to a clear direction of travel: innovation that embeds trust throughout the research lifecycle — supported by smart tools, shared infrastructure, and steady collaboration.

Day Two: Research Integrity Day

Held under the Chatham House Rule, Day Two of the programme was framed as a multi-stakeholder dialogue — to surface shared concerns, test one another’s assumptions, and discuss practical pathways forward. The day kicked off with an update on the STM Integrity Hub, highlighting the progress that has been made in 2025, and then featured a series of panel discussions that explored various aspects of the “Building Tomorrow’s Research Integrity Framework” theme. 

Bringing together publishers, researchers, funders, institutional integrity offices, infrastructure providers and volunteer sleuths, the day focused on how to strengthen trust in research amid evolving threats and expectations. Discussions focused on research integrity, governance and operational practice, and did not cover competitively sensitive topics such as commercial terms. Three key themes emerged:

1/ Shared Responsibility, Misaligned Incentives
Participants acknowledged that every part of the research ecosystem plays a role in upholding integrity — but also faces different incentives and pressures. From grant cycles and publication demands to institutional risk management and business models, aligning integrity incentives emerged as a long-term priority. The discussion pointed to the need for collaboration, not just isolated efforts.

2/ Shift Left: Trust Starts Earlier
There was strong support for moving integrity checks earlier in the research lifecycle. By the time a publisher’s integrity team gets involved, behaviours are already entrenched and corrections are very cumbersome. Funders and institutional representatives described very low numbers of formal complaints relative to portfolio size, with only a fraction upheld, and pointed to weak whistleblower protections, fear of reprisals and unclear reporting routes as key barriers. Suggested directions included treating role-modelling and local culture as central (not just formal training), exploring continuing professional development requirements for integrity awareness, and tightening channels and protections so that raising concerns is not perceived as a risk to one’s career. Funders described extending grant periods, building in generous leave extensions and placing greater weight on environment and process rather than on publication counts alone. Participants, including sleuths, also called for better protections for those who raise concerns, and for local research cultures that treat integrity as a shared value embedded in everyday practice, rather than a box-ticking exercise.

3/ Upstream Provenance and Workflow Integrity
Several sessions carried forward last year’s Innovation & Integrity days theme of going “beyond the manuscript”. New safeguards, in addition to checking manuscripts at the point of submission for indications of integrity concerns, are required to establish the veracity and authenticity of research outputs, especially in the age of (Gen)AI. Two options were discussed specifically: strengthening researcher identity verification, and establishing the authenticity of images and data through new technologies. Participants agreed that it will be increasingly challenging for detection to keep pace with manipulation as tools evolve, which requires us to focus our attention on provenance — capturing how and where data and images are created, and embedding that information into research workflows from the outset. Ideas included trusted research environments, data-focused peer review, and stronger signalling of provenance quality, aligned with Open Science principles. In other words, a shift from publishers investigating if something is false or fabricated, to researchers demonstrating that something is real and genuine through trustworthy workflows – requiring collaboration and new workflows throughout the research ecosystem.

A Way Forward
One clear takeaway from both days: technology can support integrity, as proven by the success of the STM Integrity Hub and the many innovators presenting their work, but it cannot guarantee it. Lasting trust depends on governance, incentives, new technologies, workflows, and especially collaboration.

STM remains committed to supporting that progress — convening dialogue, connecting expertise, and championing efforts that protect and enhance the integrity of the scholarly record.

Special thanks to Lynsey Haire, Academic Publishing Operations Consultant, for her expert summary and contribution to this post following STM’s I&I Days in London.

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Want to be sure you don’t miss next year’s event? (Hint: it will be in early December 2026 at the BMA House again!) Sign up for our newsletter so you can be the first to know when registration opens — and when virtual learning opportunities emerge. 

The post A recap: STM Integrity & Innovation Days 2025 appeared first on STM Association.

STM is pleased to welcome

AIP Publishing is a leading not-for-profit scholarly publisher serving the physical sciences community. With a mission to accelerate scientific discovery and ensure the quality and reliability of the scholarly record, AIP Publishing brings a strong focus on editorial excellence and integrity. 

“We’re very pleased to see AIP Publishing join the STM Integrity Hub,” said Joris van Rossum, Program Director, STM Solutions. “The Hub is designed to provide publishers with tools, infrastructure, and community insights to help address emerging integrity challenges. It’s encouraging to see momentum, with publishers like AIP Publishing joining—reflecting a shared commitment across the community to safeguarding the scholarly record.”

Launched in 2022, the STM Integrity Hub provides a secure, cloud-based environment where publishers can screen manuscripts using a suite of integrated tools. These tools—used independently by participating publishers—help identify patterns and signals associated with research integrity concerns. 

Today, more than 35 publishers use the Hub in their editorial workflows, screening over 125,000 manuscripts each month, and intercepting around 1,000 suspected paper mill submissions monthly, based on estimations from participating publishers. 

“We’re committed to investing in initiatives that strengthen confidence in the research we publish,” said Penelope Lewis, Chief Publishing Officer, AIP Publishing. “Joining the STM Integrity Hub enables our editors and authors to benefit from shared tools and insights that help safeguard the quality and credibility of the scientific record.”

Participation in the Hub is voluntary, and publishers maintain full editorial independence in how they use the tools and information it provides. 

Curious to learn more?
Join us in London on 10 December for Research Integrity Day 2025 to hear about the latest trends in research integrity, new approaches to combat paper mills, and recent advances with the STM Integrity Hub.

Learn more about the STM Integrity Hub and its impact

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Selected from a record-breaking number of submissions this year, these innovators showcase some of the most promising technologies and ideas shaping the future of trusted research.

Attendees will experience these innovations first-hand—through lightning talks, live demos on the Fair floor, and also experience the Karger Publishers 2025 Vesalius Innovation Award ceremony, spotlighting five outstanding finalists.

Learn more about this year’s theme and selected presenters — and register to join us! >>

The post Announcing the selected presenters for the upcoming STM Innovator Fair appeared first on STM Association.

As a result, there is a need for transparency around the use of AI in research dissemination. Publishers often provide guidelines for authors to transparently declare any human assistance in manuscript preparation, for example if they have used professional language editing services.

Read the full article in The Scholarly Kitchen 

The post New Scholarly Kitchen post: Classifying AI Use in Manuscript Preparation – A Recommendation appeared first on STM Association.

By combining shared tools, community intelligence, and trusted third-party integrations, the Hub enables publishers to detect potential threats earlier, strengthen editorial workflows, and uphold trust in research. 

“This Integrity Hub in Action page captures just some of the progress under way,” said Joris van Rossum, Program Director, STM Solutions. “It highlights what we can achieve together to promote research integrity—and it will continue to evolve as the Hub grows and new contributions are made.” 

With new members including JMIR Publications, IMR Press, and Maximum Academic Press, the Integrity Hub continues to expand as a collaborative force for transparency and reliability in science. 

Learn more and explore the latest infographic and case studies

The post STM Integrity Hub in action: a chronicle appeared first on STM Association.

STM’s annual Innovator Fair is back, and we’re seeking trailblazers and pioneers developing fresh solutions to transform scholarly communications. This year’s event takes place December 9, 2025, at BMA House in London as the opening day of STM’s Innovation & Integrity Days. 

What We’re Looking For
Whether you’re a startup or established company, we want to hear from you if you’re developing technologies that advance trusted research. This year’s theme is Building Tomorrow’s Research Integrity Framework, but we welcome innovations across all areas of scholarly communication. 

“The Innovator Fair has become one of our most exciting annual events because it brings together the people actually building the future of scholarly publishing,” said Hylke Koers, Chief Information Officer at STM Solutions. “We see incredible energy when innovative companies get face-time with the decision-makers who can help bring their solutions to market. It’s where partnerships are born and the industry moves forward.”

Why This Matters
At STM, we champion the technologists, startups, and companies advancing trusted research. Every December, we gather to celebrate the changemakers using technology and innovation to strengthen scholarly communication and better serve the academic community. 

Selected innovators get access to a room full of publishers, societies, university presses, and industry leaders who are actively looking for solutions. Think lightning talks, interactive booths, pre-scheduled meetings, and plenty of networking time. 

Plus, you’ll experience the prestigious Vesalius Innovation Award ceremony, organized by Karger Publishers, celebrating outstanding advancements from young entrepreneurs and startups. 

The Process
Here’s how it works: 

• Submit your innovation by September 30, 2025 (applications close soon!)
• Get selected – we’ll notify chosen presenters by October 11 
• Go public – we announce participating organizations on October 13 
• Present and connect – pitch your concept on December 9 to an engaged audience of industry leaders 

We evaluate submissions based on impact, creativity, adaptability, and novelty. We’re looking for concepts that could genuinely transform how scholarly publishing works. 

Ready to Apply?
The application is straightforward – just basic company info and a 120-word description of your innovation. If selected, there’s a €150 participation fee.

Apply here. 

Questions? Reach out to Hylke Koers at Hylke@stm-solutions.org. 

About STM Innovation & Integrity Days
This premier two-day event (formerly STM Week) brings together the publishing industry’s innovators and integrity experts. It’s where we explore the breakthroughs transforming scholarly communication and dive deep into the latest approaches to research integrity. 

The December 9-10 event at BMA House in London promises to be our most dynamic yet — kicking off with the Innovator Fair and continuing with deep-dive sessions on building stronger research integrity frameworks. 

The post Calling trailblazers: STM’s 2025 Innovator Fair applications are open appeared first on STM Association.

There’s more to this image than meets the eye. It’s a symbol of collaboration, resilience, and the strategic choices shaping the future of scholarly communications.

Welcome to STM Trends 2029: our annual industry futurecast — just revealed last week at the STM US Conference in DC. This is where we scan the horizon for the forces, innovations and challenges that will define our ecosystem over the next 3-5 years.

This year’s Trends explores:
– How AI, fragmentation, and shifting trust are converging
– Why the information landscape is more turbulent than ever
– And what it will take to build new coalitions — to fortify the foundations of trust in research

There’s a way through — and the tools are already in our hands. Explore this visual on your own and feel free to request a Trends 2029 presentation to spark future-focused conversations at your organisation.

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