The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), a nonprofit organization that started in 1978, focuses on promoting and advancing communication within the scholarly publishing community. This year’s SSP Annual Meeting will be held at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston, United States from May 31st to June 2nd. The 2017 SSP conference will be held under the theme “Striking a Balance: Embracing Change While Preserving Tradition in Scholarly Communications”. The conference would address the inevitable need to change the way academic publishing functions in the face of globalization and technological advancements. At the same time, the conference would like those involved in scholarly communication to not lose sight of their rich history of scientific and academic discourse.
Attending the SSP annual meeting will give its members and general attendees the opportunity to hear keynote addresses delivered by Paula Stephan of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, and Jeffrey Mervis of Science magazine. The speakers will address several tracks, including Industry Challenges, Practical Skills/Publishing 101, Product Strategy, Stakeholder Voices, Technology, and Research and Scholarship. The SSP annual meeting will also offer many opportunities to network via evening receptions, interactive lunches, and other planned events. The 39th Annual Meeting will also be home to an exhibitors’ marketplace which will allow the attendees to learn about new products, programs, services, and solutions. Registrants will also benefit from the free sponsored sessions.
Jeffrey Mervis, a senior correspondent for Science magazine, will deliver the first keynote address at the meeting, discussing how the first four months of the Trump presidency has affected the scientific community. He will also speculate on what these early days of the Trump administration could mean for research going forward. Mervis is also of the opinion that the academic publishing community will be caught up in public discussions surrounding the value of science and the need for transparency in scientific research. The 2017 SSP Conference is also expected to be a hotbed of discussion around the formal sessions, with topics ranging from the role of artificial intelligence to recent large investments by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to cuts in federal spending for tertiary education and research. All in all the 39th Annual Meeting is shaping up to be a wonderful meeting of the minds!
