A2_Deep Dive [in English]

Thursday, 15 October | 2:30–4:00 p.m. | Herrenhausen Palace

• Prof. Dr. Alice Fleerackers, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Civic Engagement, University of Amsterdam
• Marleen Halbach Theile, Editor-in-Chief, Science Media Center Germany (SMC)
• Dr. Mark Hanson, Group Leader, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter
• Dr. Max Vögler, Vice President for Global Strategic Networks – DACH, Elsevier
• Iris Proff, Science Journalist / WPK [Moderator]

In 2019, 1.9 million studies were published in scientific journals. By 2022, that number had risen to 2.9 million, and the upward trend continues. However, the number of qualified experts available to review these articles is not increasing at the same rate. As a result, a growing number of voices argue that peer-review processes are overburdened and can no longer guarantee that scientific publications meet quality standards. Fake publications generated with AI place an additional strain on the system.

An international group of scientists, among them Mark Hanson from Exeter, discusses these issues in a series of articles that have attracted public attention. They argue that the profit-driven business models of large academic publishers hinder scientific progress. According to the scientists, open-access models have not solved the problem but have instead exacerbated it. Can science journalists still trust the peer-review process? And how can the current challenges facing the scientific publishing system be addressed?