Springer Nature reports growth in submissions, usage and OA publishing
Springer Nature has reported continued growth in research output, usage and open access publishing, according to data released in its latest Annual Report.
Following financial results released earlier this month, the company said it is continuing to respond to the needs of its communities by making research more open and trusted, while delivering value and impact amid rising global research output.
Submissions increased by more than 30% to 3.1 million, with 539,000 primary research articles published. Of these, more than 53% were published open access (OA), underlining what the company described as its ongoing focus on quality and trusted research.
Usage also rose significantly, with Springer Nature reporting 5.6 billion downloads of articles and book chapters – an increase of more than 50% compared with 2024. This included more than 860 million downloads of content related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The report also highlights a 14% increase in average citations per article compared with 2023, which the company says reflects growing reach and engagement for authors and institutions.
Springer Nature noted that this increased usage and impact is reflected in consistently high satisfaction levels among authors, editors and peer reviewers, who continue to rate their publishing experience as good or excellent.
Alongside its publishing performance, the company reported progress against its environmental and social commitments. It has reduced carbon emissions by 50% from 2019 levels and, in its tenth anniversary year, expanded its charitable partnerships to support the wider research, health and education ecosystem.
The publisher also pointed to continued investment in artificial intelligence to support the publishing process. In 2025, this included embedding AI-enabled tools across its proprietary Snapp platform to strengthen screening and editorial evaluation, increasing research integrity headcount to 75 globally, and expanding digital tools for professionals.
Among these developments more than 40,000 doctors are now using the Medbee app, an increase of 34% on 2024, while users of Macmillan Education Everywhere have doubled to 3.2 million.
Frank Vrancken Peeters, Chief Executive Officer of Springer Nature, said: “Scientific progress is built on partnership and trust. At a time when trust in science and evidence-based decision-making matters more than ever, we remain focused on working alongside our communities to benefit society. Our Annual Report shows the impact of this approach, supported by our mission to be part of progress – sharing trusted knowledge worldwide.”