During “How can smaller-sized journal publishers get more out of software?,” publishing experts discussed strategies for evaluating and implementing workflow automation solutions to maximize efficiency while managing costs. Watch the webinar recording here.

Technology presents opportunities to streamline and amplify the efforts of small and mid-sized publishing teams, enabling them to more effectively compete with larger organizations. But for those eager to leverage software to tackle various workflow concerns while maximizing a limited budget, it’s not always clear where to focus and how to get the best “bang for the buck.”

On January 30, 2026, Scholastica and Maverick Publishing Specialists hosted “How can smaller-sized journal publishers get more out of software?: New report roundtable,” to bring together members of our teams and publishers who participated in our 2025 survey on the “Technology Needs of Small and Medium Journal Publishers” to discuss the top challenges uncovered by the survey and solutions to tackle them. The session featured the following speakers:

  • Nancy Roberts, Chief Operating Officer, Maverick Publishing Consultants
  • Cory Schires, Chief Technology Officer, Scholastica
  • Lily Simmons, Digital Operations Manager, University of Pennsylvania Press
  • Meredith Weinhold, Peer Review Program Manager, Canadian Medical Association

Webinar highlights

Amid rapid shifts in digital content dissemination and discovery, as well as rising research integrity risks, virtually every scholarly publisher is trying to keep up these days. For small to mid-sized organizations in particular, the result is often having to find ways to do more with already stretched resources. More research integrity checks, more system integrations, more search optimization work, and the list goes on — all areas respondents to the “Technology Needs of Small and Medium Journal Publishers” survey indicated as key concerns.

When asked their team’s “#1 goal” for their journal technology stack over the next two years, “increase workflow efficiency/output” was the most common answer chosen by survey participants, yet more than half of the respondents said that “budget” and “human resource” constraints were challenges they faced with their current journal technology. The findings indicate that many smaller publishers face a tension between wanting to leverage software to work more effectively and experiencing it as a cost center.

During the webinar, panelists discussed strategies to help smaller publishing teams evaluate their current technology solutions for optimization opportunities, whether by better employing existing tools or seeking alternatives. They also shared advice for assessing emerging workflow automation options to identify the best strategic investments to pursue. Among topics covered by the panelists were recommendations for:

  • Pinpointing low-hanging fruit automation opportunities, such as recurring admin tasks that quietly take up team bandwidth
  • Weighing configuration vs. customization in software decisions to achieve desired workflow outcomes while mitigating development costs
  • Partnering with software vendors to improve and expand upon system functionality and integrations with external services
  • Piloting new AI-based tools, such as reviewer locators and research integrity check solutions, to assess the reliability of their training models and fit for purpose

Get the recording, plus further resources

The “How can smaller-sized journal publishers get more out of software?” webinar is now available to watch on demand. Click here to register to have the Zoom recording sent to your inbox.

This webinar is part of “Grow your scholarly journals in 2026,” a webinar series Scholastica is hosting to help publishers optimize their journal workflows and expand the reach and impact of their content this year. Up next in the series is:

  • How to Get a Journal Indexed in PMC: What You Need to Know (February 26th at 3 PM UTC)

  • Demonstrating Broader Journal Impact: New Opportunities With Altmetrics (March 19th at 3:30 PM UTC)

Each webinar will include time for audience Q&A, and we’ll send all registrants the recordings. Learn more and save your spot here!