POLLEN 2026 is calling for volunteers. For all the benefits this entails please see here: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Conserving 30% of the planet will only succeed if people are part of the plan. New ICTA-UAB study by @javierfajardo.bsky.social & @danbrockington.bsky.social. Published today in @nature.com Nature Communications. theconversation.com/conserving-3...

For people thinking about travel and accommodation for POLLEN 2026, here is a brief guide and update - with some rooms available in the city at a reasonable rate www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

POLLEn 2026 is creeping up on us. Here is some latest news on Linked In: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

A bright new day in Barcelona and #POLLEN2026 has moved on a stage. Of nearly 2000 (!) submissions, panel convenors have chosen nearly 1400. Registration is open. Given the demand we will begin with presenters first. Many thanks to all for their incredible efforts in making this happen.

When is publishing just self-promotion? When it is PISS Once again the geniuses behind 'the Strain' bring new insights and massive data to highlight problematic publishing. Fight the Strain: shorturl.at/z7XMv Stop the Drain: shorturl.at/M9rVM Cleanse the Stain: shorturl.at/sYseu Chapeau!

The Issue with Special Issues: when Guest Editors Publish in Support of Self. arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563 Thanks @hansonmark.bsky.social for putting the effort in documenting this plague. We need to stop it. #PISS is damaging academia.

Dinero gastado, tiempo invertido y menos confianza en el sistema: cómo las cuatro grandes editoriales "drenan" la ciencia. Estudio de @danbrockington.bsky.social ICTA-UAB muestra que priman el beneficio sobre la difusión del conocimiento y distorsionan el sistema. www.eldiario.es/1_c4840d?utm...

Is it just me, or is this video about the wonderful artist Julie Hart Beers incredibly skillful - tender and intimate like the artist herself. youtube.com/shorts/66hsv... @metmuseum.org @merryrobin.bsky.social @artherstory.bsky.social @womensart.bsky.social @annaplesset.bsky.social

Un estudio señala que las grandes editoriales científicas priorizan su beneficio frente a la ciencia. Liderado por el investigador del ICTA-UAB @danbrockington.bsky.social exitoeducativo.net/un-analisis-... #BraveSienceForAChangingWorld

Intense discussion with The Drain authors today about where to submit Part II.. And somehow @lariviev.bsky.social launched the idea of hockey jerseys?! Thanks for your service, ChatGPT. @danbrockington.bsky.social @hansonmark.bsky.social @stephenpinfield.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social

Here's a really useful blog exploring the difficulties, but pre-eminent need, of taking back control over scientific publishing. shorturl.at/dNYCV Understand the Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/... Stop the Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820

absolutely wild. to this day this "paper" is still on nature.com. since I read Chinese I'll add one more piece of contextual info. the author's affiliation Anhui Vocational College of Press and Publishing has no dept whatsoever related to AI, computer science or neurological development.

Funders ‘hold all the cards’ to reform publishing, say academics. Paper urges structural changes to stop “drain” of research resources by for-profit publishers. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-o...

What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma. It's *scientific publishing*. We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing. Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820 Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_... Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇

There are three more days to submit your ideas for papers to #POLLEN2026 panels. The last day is 5th December. We will not be extending the deadline. Here is the link to send in your submission: tinyurl.com/yumc2tsx

La ciencia bajo el control de las grandes editoriales Un estudio del ICTA-UAB liderado por @danbrockington.bsky.social revela cómo el sistema de publicación científica prioriza ganancias frente al avance del conocimiento y la integridad académica. digitum-um.blogspot.com/2025/12/la-c...

There are three more days to submit your ideas for papers to #POLLEN2026 panels. The last day is 5th December. We will not be extending the deadline. Here is the link to send in your submission: tinyurl.com/yumc2tsx

The best thing to do next April has suddenly become a lot clearer. Looks like a wonderful gathering.

Don’t miss this thread…

🤔How does the domination of scientific publishing affect science? A paper co-authored by the #ICREAResercher @danbrockington.bsky.social analyzes this Global North trend. 🔗 arxiv.org/pdf/2511.04820 👉 Don't miss the full explanation in this thread: bsky.app/profile/danb...

This is potentially significant. The CNRS are one of the best in the world. Reliance on metrics controlled by private companies is a problem for science. We need the powerful organisatios to take the lead. Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy

I was so glad to hear about this project and workshop. This would be my dream ERC project.

"But, dear readers, we do not live in a healthy world... Springer-Nature has launched a “Discover” series of journals that seem to deliberately and systematically mimic the MDPI brand."

I know of few people who get the economics of scientific publishing better than @paolocrosetto.bsky.social This thread on the incentives that are driving bad publishing practice is golden. For the darkly funny side of this see: the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io/website/post...

Since AI slop is again all over Scientific Reports, a thread on the economics of grey-zone publishing. Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this? Background readings: Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy

This morning was particularly beautiful. Be warned, its a 5 minute video and too big a file to add to a skeet. Sunup 2 mins in. youtu.be/fuZFqNAbhdc

Yay, our first podcast citation @danbrockington.bsky.social @paolocrosetto.bsky.social et al. They discuss The Drain starting at minute 33:20 in the context of a protein science journal published by Wiley and also mention @elife.bsky.social. It's introduced as "almost an economics paper" :D

Here's a typically thoughtful piece from @anotherbobsmith.bsky.social: the push to generate prioritisations stems from not understanding how they become effective. Are journal editors also culpable, as they have lapped up lots of this science. Why did they think it might help? shorturl.at/Of5h3

Many thanks for this fascinating discussion

Another beautiful dawn. Air a but cold, but the water is warm. I think you can see water vapour in the air low over the sea when the air is that much colder than the sea is.

One of the great things about Barcelona - working with the @pollenetwork.bsky.social secretariat: Laila, Ele, Rebecca and Blanket (the cat). Here planning POLLEN comms up the coast in Masnou. We will be recruiting one more person to this team.

"The domination of scientific publishing in the Global North by major commercial publishers is harmful to science..." arxiv.org/pdf/2511.04820 #science #peerreview #scientificmethod #scientificpublishing

Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

The collective profits are staggering, actually overwhelming. So, let's resist: "The good news is that if the drain has a particular history and geography, it means that it is not inevitable. It can be resisted." @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca

Am in Leeds for a viva and am so lucky to catch the Peninnes in a cold snap. Glorious orange and pink clouds and views from the train this morning.

Where do they all go? Surely the building has to fill up with spoons at some point.

This blog summarises the crippling intellectual and scholarly consequences of the financial drain of commercial scientific publishing. Builds on earlier work on strain and oligopoly of publishing: Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820 Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS Oligopoly: bit.ly/OligSciPub

✍️💸Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science This article by our researcher @danbrockington.bsky.social, together with Aileen Fyfe and Stefanie Haustein, tackles this question in the blog of @lseusablog.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

We were very fortunate to have Dorothea Kleine from IGSD and @sheffielduni.bsky.social at @icta-uab.bsky.social yesterday talking about codesign and her work on digital reset (shorturl.at/WiYGL). Dorothea (and @rosaleenduffy.bsky.social) gave me my first Dolly Parton figurine, pictured between us.

Las publicaciones científicas priorizan las ganancias “a la integridad académica”, según un estudio del ICTA-UAB liderado por el investigador @danbrockington.bsky.social @icreacommunity.bsky.social www.lavanguardia.com/sociedad/202...

Science under the control of major publishers: profit over knowledge A new analysis led by ICTA-UAB researcher @danbrockington.bsky.social, shows that in scientific publishing, commercial interests put profit ahead of advancing knowledge and academic integrity. www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...

Working with real metascientists on this project has been an incredible learning experience. This is quite important for scientific publishing.

I'm a little late to this but this is a thoughtful thread about a new side of conservation which I had not considered before. Congrats on the article and thanks for sharing.

Would LOVE to see @lewisgoodall.com and the @newsagents.bsky.social take this one day. A business model which has no parallel. Unpaid work that relies on the “goodness” of academics. And we all have bought into it wholesale.

Here was dawn over the Med this morning. Enjoy!