Building new societies: Insights and predictions from the 5th Wiley Society Member Survey

Abstract

The 5th Wiley Society Member Survey was conducted in May 2019. We received responses from 3,112 members who either consume, produce, utilize, or support scientific research, from more than 20 countries and across 40 disciplines. This year, we intentionally sought more responses from outside the USA and Western Europe than in the past, making the results more reflective of the diversity of the global research community. This made it clear that the research world is more disparate and, in some cases, such as in the Asia‐Pacific region, more contradictory than we have seen. Previously identified observations, such as an increase in respondents' simultaneous membership of multiple societies, have been consolidated, whereas others, such as the demand for support from societies for high standards of publishing ethics, are new to this survey. Central to the survey's findings is the continuing rise in researcher demand for open access and open research as tools for both consumption and production of research. Ultimately, by using these findings, this article suggests some strategies to enable societies to navigate their way through this new and constantly evolving world of academic research.