In the introduction to the 2024 Publishing Tech Trends report from Silverchair and Hum, Silverchair CEO Will Schweitzer predicted that these changes would bring publishers back to the core technology powering their content delivery: “Continued market uncertainty, disruptive threats, and faster technology adoption will lead publishers to change or make greater investments in core systems and processes. After 20 years of shifting our products from print to digital, from subscription to open, and navigating Covid disruptions, we know the dangers of stasis. Publishers that focus on the technologies that underpin their value proposition will find efficiencies, margin, happier stakeholders, and a stronger foundation for experimentation and new product development.”
How do other publishing leaders think the year ahead will affect publishers' priorities for delivery and dissemination of content? Read their thoughts below, then download the full report here for more trends and predictions.
AI Tools
“Experimentation and investment of domain-specific AI tools.” —Phoebe McMellon, CEO, GeoScienceWorld“As AI-driven content generation continues to advance, we can expect a growing emphasis on content summarization and synthesis tailored to engaging and educating diverse audiences.” —Colleen Scollans, Marketing & CX, Clarke & Esposito
“AI tools have to be fully baked into the delivery and dissemination process. We can already understand content and user behavior in the same space occupied by AI models. This year publishers need to refine the process as we discover what is more and less effective. Every audience member should be getting what they need, and just what they need.” —Will Fortin, Lead Data Scientist, Hum
Syndication & Aggregation
“In the year ahead, publishers' priorities for content delivery and dissemination will probably shift towards faster and strategic dissemination, with a focus on placing content in multiple locations. Publishers are evolving into service providers, and content syndication is emerging as a prominent trend in this transformation.” —Christian Grubak, Founder & Co-CEO, ChronosHub“I suspect source publishers will become more vocal about requiring analytics from distribution channels (e.g. aggregators) so that they can better tailor their content acquisition pipelines.” —Tasha Mellins-Cohen, Executive Director, COUNTER
“Aggregation, and normalization of all types of digital content to make them discoverable.” —Phoebe McMellon, CEO, GeoScienceWorld
“More on-demand through social platforms, such as ResearchGate.” —Avi Staiman, CEO, Academic Language Experts
Researcher Focus
“Researchers are bombarded with too many publications to manage—let alone read and cite effectively. Getting researchers what they need, when they need it will continue to be a challenge. Recommender services will help researchers customize their feeds, and research management tools, including summarizing tools, will help researchers to build effectively on the work of others.” —Heather Staines, Senior Consultant, Delta ThinkResearch Integrity
“Traceability and integrity markers will become more important, whether delivery is on first- or third-party platforms, Integrity and validation throughout the whole chain (submission, reviews, publications).” —Christian Kohl, Director, Technology & Engineering, PLOSThe 10,000-foot view
“I suspect that any shift will appear subtle in the greater scheme, but I would like to hope that publishers continue to get smarter with leveraging the content they output.” —Neil Christensen, Sales Director, Morressier
A LOOK BACK: Usage and impact emerged as a theme in last year’s predictions for 2023—and the importance of measuring content success will only grow in the coming year!