Early Career Researchers: Harbingers of Change (Year One, 2016)
«Early career researchers: the harbingers of change» is a planned three-year qualitative study of researchers under 35 without tenure, run by CIBER Research. Its first year, 2016, drew on interviews with 116 researchers in seven countries. It reported that high-impact journals still drive career choices, while open access rarely shapes publishing strategy, despite mandates.
What is the "Early career researchers: the harbingers of change" study?
The early career researchers harbingers of change project is a longitudinal study led by CIBER Research. It focuses on early career researchers, or ECRs, defined in the year one 2016 summary as researchers under 35 operating without tenure. The project looked at this group because ECRs are the largest segment of the academic workforce, yet at the time there were few recent studies of how they approach scholarly communication. The study belongs to a broader discussion of where scholarly publishing is heading.
The phrase has also been used for a novel, but the CIBER study is a research project, not a work of fiction.
Year one at a glance
| Item | Year one, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Population | Researchers under 35 working without tenure |
| Method | Personal interviews, qualitative |
| Sample | 116 researchers |
| Countries | UK, US, China, France, Spain, Poland, Malaysia |
| Planned length | Three years |
| Published | 2016 |
| Report and press release | Yes; see Sources |
The 2016 summary gives totals for the sample and lists the seven countries. It does not break the findings down by country. Because the method was qualitative, the interviews provide themes rather than national percentages.
What did year one find about publishing choices?
According to the 2016 summary, high-impact journals still mattered to researchers' career choices. Many respondents said they would change their publishing strategy if the environment allowed it, but in practice they continued to target journals with strong reputations. That system of journals and review is examined in Peer Review Under Pressure.
Open access did not appear as a prominent criterion in most publishing strategies, even though mandates were already in place. How journals and authors handle integrity is discussed in Ethics in Scientific Publishing. These findings date from 2016 and may have changed since then.
Why was it cited as a signal of change?
The title identifies the people the study followed: 116 researchers under 35 in seven countries, interviewed in 2016 because they would inherit scholarly publishing. The year one summary treats their stated publishing choices as an early signal, not as proof that the field had already changed. A short history of academic publishing records earlier changes in how journals are funded and read, while digital publishing of research outlines one channel through which scholarly communication now moves.
Where can I read the full report?
The year one report and a press release were published in 2016 by the Publishing Research Consortium, a sector body that is no longer active. The archived key-findings page, available at the Wayback Machine, links to both the full report and the press release. Read the archived year one 2016 key findings.
FAQ
What is an early career researcher?
Per the study, a researcher under 35 working without tenure.
How many researchers did year one cover?
116 researchers, interviewed in seven countries.
Which countries were included?
UK, US, China, France, Spain, Poland, Malaysia.
Did the study find open access mattered to ECRs?
Not as a prominent criterion in most publishing strategies, despite mandates.
Sources
- Publishing Research Consortium. “Early Career Researchers, Year one 2016: key findings.” Archived December 25, 2019. Full report and press release are linked from the archived page.
- CIBER Research. Full report, Year one 2016.