LECTURE: CHALLENGES OF ENSURING HIGH QUALITY IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS: EDITORIAL APPROACHES IN RELATION TO PUBLISHER ORIENTATION AND ACCESS MODEL

On Thursday, 17 September 2026, at 10:00, we invite you to an online lecture titled Challenges of Ensuring High Quality in Scientific Journals: Editorial Approaches in Relation to Publisher Orientation and Access Model. The lecture will be given by Dr. Katarina Krapež (FIŠ and UP PEF). The event will be held in Slovenian via the Zoom application (https://upr-si.zoom.us/s/61438757071, Meeting ID: 61438757071).

Ensuring high quality of scientific publications is based on a multi-stage editorial review, which includes the initial professional and methodological assessment of the manuscript, the consistent application of quality criteria, the management of the review process and the final decision on publication. Editors have the central responsibility for the scientific credibility and relevance of published works, but they do not make decisions in an institutionally neutral environment. Their possibilities depend on human and financial resources, technological infrastructure, publisher support and the access model of the journal.

The lecture is based on a multi-year international empirical study in which 258 experienced editors from 42 countries participated, and on in-depth interviews with 24 editors from 11 countries. It will be presented how editors understand and apply the fundamental quality criteria – originality, scientific validity and relevance – and how they make challenging decisions such as early rejection of a manuscript, selection of competent reviewers and assessment of conflicting reviews. The editor’s multifaceted role will also be presented: from quality guardian to process manager, journal developer and scientific community liaison.

The main part of the lecture will be devoted to two separate but related aspects: the commercial or non-profit orientation of the publisher and the open, hybrid or closed or subscription access model. Research shows that commercial publishers generally provide editorial boards with more technological, production, promotional and educational support, but at the same time may limit editorial autonomy more. In non-profit publishers, autonomy is often greater, but editors face limited resources and a greater volume of unpaid work. The open access model is therefore not a reliable indicator of quality; what is decisive are standards, transparency of procedures and actual support for editorial work.

The topic is particularly relevant today due to the transition to immediate and diamond open access, changing rules on secondary publishing and the development of generative artificial intelligence, the organized production of fake scientific articles and manipulation of review processes. High quality is therefore not only a question of formal rules, but also of editorial autonomy, adequate sources and a trustworthy research infrastructure.

Dr. Katarina Krapež is an associate professor of law at the University of Novo Mesto, Faculty of Information Studies and at the University of Primorska. At the Faculty of Information Studies, she is the Vice-Dean for Organizational Development and Head of the Department of Legal Sciences, and since July 2026, the President of the Board of Directors of the newly established public university in Novo Mesto. She received her PhD from the University of Primorska in the field of copyright law in science. Her research work combines legal, managerial and empirical approaches and focuses on the quality of scientific publishing, editorial decision-making, copyright law and open science. In an international study, she examined the quality criteria and editorial practices of 258 editors of scientific journals from 42 countries and the impact of the commercial or non-profit orientation of publishers on everyday editorial work. She published her findings in the journals Learned Publishing, Publications, Lexonomica and Pravnik. At the Faculty of Information Studies, she leads the implementation of the SPOSNAJ project – Support for the introduction of open science principles in Slovenia. She is also a registered expert with the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency (SKAVIS) and a long-standing legal and strategic advisor to higher education and research institutions, which is why she connects research quality issues with experience in higher education management and quality assurance.

Please pre-register for the event via LINK >>

This is the sixteenth lecture in the OSUP series – Open Science at the University of Primorska. The event is organised by the University of Primorska within the framework of the Action Plan for the Open Science (Objective 6.2 ReZrIS30) that is funded by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Education, Science and Youth. If you have any questions you can contact Dr. Ana Slavec, the editor of the OSUP series. 

Past lectures that were organised within the OSUP series are available on the YouTube channel of the UP University Library >>