Council made a major decision at the end of June in deciding to maintain Wiley-Blackwell as the publisher of our journals. Wiley began publishing TWS’s journals in 2011, and its current contract is due to expire at the end of 2015. Wiley was interested in retaining TWS as a client, and made an early renewal offer along with a new draft contract. TWS engaged an independent publishing consultant to review Wiley’s renewal offer and draft contract. Executive Director Williams, Director of Publications and Communications Moore, and Council all reviewed and discussed the report from the consultant, a thorough process of evaluation that culminated in the decision to remain with Wiley as our publisher. Williams and Moore are now working with Wiley to fine-tune the language of the new contract. Once signed, the new contract will go into effect in January 2016.
Among The Wildlife Society’s major roles is sustaining the quality and financial health of its three journals (The Journal of Wildlife Management, Wildlife Monographs, and the Wildlife Society Bulletin). Disseminating scientific information to our members and the broader scientific community is the primary goal of our journals and a vital part of the mission of TWS. Our journal editors manage manuscript review and acceptance, while our publisher handles production, marketing, and distribution.
Maintaining the quality of the journals is the responsibility of TWS through the work of our editors and their staff, the associate editors, and all of the peer reviewers. Overall, our editorial program maintains our journals as excellent sources of high quality information on wildlife biology and management, and the work of all involved in this process deserves our appreciation and respect.
Besides the critical role of disseminating scientific information, the income we receive from our journals has been one of the three primary sources of funding for TWS (the others being membership and conferences). For this reason, Council and staff must carefully evaluate the business aspects of our contract with a publisher. Wiley presented TWS with a very strong offer that with some additional negotiation, became even stronger and resulted in Council deciding to accept the proposed terms. It should secure a healthy revenue stream for TWS over the 7 years of the new contract, which will run from 2016 to 2022.
As indicated in previous editions of the Wildlifer, we expect the publishing world to change with an increasing shift to digital formats and with increasing trends towards open access. Council and staff think that the current format of our journals is appropriate for now, but recognize that changes are highly likely in the future. Language in the new contract will acknowledge the need for flexibility in how we publish our journals in the future and allow for changes to be made when the time is right.
Charting the best path forward for our journals is an important responsibility of Council and TWS staff that all take very seriously. The decision reached by Council was one that was carefully considered and should meet the needs for our journals as we progress in a rapidly changing publishing arena.
