Academic Publishing as a Complex System

Academic Publishing as a Complex System | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Academic Publishing as a Complex System Tibor Varga, Jeroen Uleman, Stéphane Tuffier, Morten Hulvej Rod, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8948694/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Academic publishing is facing growing concerns related to reproducibility, peer review, and accessibility, yet proposed reforms have produced limited systemic change. We examined academic publishing as a complex adaptive system by conducting a thematic analysis of stakeholder interviews, developing a Causal Loop Diagram, and using the Action Scales Model to identify potential leverage points. From 13 stakeholder interviews, we synthesized nine interrelated challenges and mapped structural drivers and feedback loops shaping the system. Reinforcing dynamics linking prestige, evaluation metrics, and commercial incentives appear to sustain high publication volumes and constrain individual agency, even when dysfunction is widely recognized. Event-level actions were largely limited to transparency measures, whereas greater leverage emerged at the levels of system structures, goals, and beliefs. Applying this framework to the reproducibility, peer review, and accessibility crises illustrates how tensions are maintained. These findings highlight the value of complex systems approaches for understanding institutional behaviour and guiding coordinated change. Humanities/Complex networks Scientific community and society/Scientific community/Publishing Scientific community and society/Scientific community/Careers Social science/Complex networks Scientific community and society/Scientific community/Funding Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementalMaterial.pdf Supplemental Material Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8948694","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":596150586,"identity":"6d53e510-c85a-40d1-b31a-368e7603d199","order_by":0,"name":"Tibor 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