Why Science Demands New Journals and New Societies
The Unstoppable Pulse of Scientific Revolution
In the 17th century, Philosophical Transactions launched with a modest mission: to register and certify discoveries like Newton's optics. Today, over 5 million scientific papers flood journals annually—a 9% yearly growth since 1980 7 . This explosion isn't just about volume; it reflects profound shifts in how we produce and share knowledge. As reproducibility crises shake trust and predatory journals exploit the "publish or perish" culture, scientists are reimagining scholarly communication. Here's why new journals and societies aren't just appearing—they're becoming essential catalysts for science's future.
For 350 years, journals focused on three core tasks: registration, certification, and dissemination. Now, they've evolved into active defenders of integrity:
The push for free knowledge birthed predatory journals, which exploit authors with fake peer review and invented editorial boards. Dentistry alone has 50+ such titles with permutations like "Annals of Oral & Dental Health Management" 3 . The FTC's lawsuit against OMICS Group highlights the scale—but with scam publishers operating globally, education remains our best defense 3 .
Five commercial giants (Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Sage) control >50% of publishing. Their profit-driven model clashes with scientific societies' mission:
| Publisher Type | Primary Goal | Revenue Use |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Maximize shareholder profits | Private gains |
| Society Journals | Advance field knowledge | Fund research, education, outreach 1 |
This tension fuels clashes like Dutch universities' boycott of Elsevier over open-access costs 1 .
In 1962, New Society burst onto the scene with 60,000 readers. Its innovations reshaped intellectual culture:
New Society proved journals could democratize expertise. Its closure in 1988 reminds us that reinvention is non-negotiable.
A 2024 analysis of 761 major discoveries (Nobel Prizes + textbook breakthroughs) challenged dogma 6 :
Table 1: How Breakthroughs Really Happen
| Method Element | % of Discoveries Using It | Counterexample |
|---|---|---|
| Observation | 94% | Penrose's black hole math (1965) 6 |
| Experimentation | 75% | Einstein's photoelectric theory (1905) 6 |
| Hypothesis Testing | 81% | Jerne's antibody theory (1955) 6 |
Shockingly, 25% of post-1900 breakthroughs skipped the "mandatory" scientific method altogether.
Table 2: The Real Engine of Discovery
| Field | % Using "Sophisticated Methods" | Key Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 100% | Particle accelerators, X-ray diffraction |
| Chemistry | 100% | Chromatography, NMR spectrometers |
| Medicine | 98% | CRISPR, organoid tech |
Conclusion: Tools like statistical models (→ 62% of discoveries) aren't accessories—they're how modern science observes, tests, and thinks 6 .
Mini-organs mimicking human biology
Johns Hopkins' vascularized brain organoids simulating neural activity
Gene editing with precision DNA cuts
Curing sickle cell anemia via Lyfgenia ($3.1M therapy) 5
Smart bandages releasing therapeutic vesicles
Diabetic wound healing via vesicle-infused gels
Capturing cosmic particles in Antarctic ice
Mapping ghost particle interactions 7
Niche journals like Clinical and Experimental Dental Research target precision needs—e.g., sharing 3D dental imaging protocols predatory journals ignore 3 .
When 2,000+ scientists teamed on the IceCube project, they proved distributed networks could tackle universe-scale questions 7 . New societies facilitate these "collaboration dividends."
Journals now train reviewers in bias detection, countering historic disparities like grant denial rates for female scientists 8 .
Future journals may integrate datasets, VR models (e.g., pain-reducing virtual forests ), and AI reviewers—transforming static papers into living ecosystems.
As Mike Savage noted, New Society's legacy isn't its 30-year run—it's proving that journals can ignite social change 2 . Today's new journals face steeper challenges: fake science, profit motives, and information overload. Yet their mission echoes the past: to curate, validate, and amplify humanity's quest for truth. In the end, every new journal isn't just a platform—it's a manifesto for how knowledge should live in the world.
"The future of scientific production is linked to the future of our institutions." 7