Researcher to Reader 2026: structure, debate, and community
24 to 25 February 2026; BMA House, London
Researcher to Reader returns to London in February with two tightly structured days of workshops, debates, panels and practical sessions designed to create genuine conversation across the scholarly communications ecosystem.
Organiser Mark Carden says Researcher to Reader has built its reputation on interaction and collaboration: “With around 200 international participants expected, the meeting brings together publishers, librarians, editors, researchers, funders, consultants and technology providers in deliberately mixed formats that encourage discussion, reflection and problem-solving. Delegate satisfaction in recent years has hovered at 99 to 100%, a figure that reflects both the quality of discussion and the care taken in programme design.
“Importantly, this is not a publisher-dominated event. Historically, only around 40 to 45% of attendees come from publishing organisations. Early figures for 2026 show a similarly balanced mix: approximately 40% publishing, 25% libraries, 15% research, and 20% drawn from funders, consultants and service providers.”
Participants will engage with themes including research integrity, open science infrastructure, peer review reform, business models, and the global implications of artificial intelligence.
Keynote: Open and Secure Research
Dr Leslie McIntosh, VP of Research Integrity and Security at Digital Science, will confront uncomfortable truths around openness, integrity and responsibility in global scholarship.
Open science infrastructure under pressure
A roundtable discussion on infrastructure sustainability brings together voices from across the open science landscape. Moderated by Emma Green (Invest in Open Infrastructure), the panel includes Christine Dunn (Clarivate), Hannah Hope (Wellcome), Lautaro Matas (LA Referencia), and David Prosser (RLUK). The focus is on identifying shared challenges and complementary strengths.
Business models: lessons learned
The session titled “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” offers a case study of scholarly publishing business models from multiple perspectives. Moderated by Stacey Burke (APS), the panel – featuring Professor Wolfgang Kuebler (Charité–Universitätsmedizin), Godwyns Onwuchekwa (Global Tapestry Consulting) and Lou Peck (The International Bunch) – will examine what has worked, what has failed, and what needs to change next for libraries, researchers and readers alike.
AI, peer review, and global equity
Professor Keith Webster (Carnegie Mellon University) will present scenario-based thinking to help libraries and publishers rethink their roles in an AI-shaped scholarly record. Peer review also comes under scrutiny in a panel exploring independent and community-driven models, moderated by Dr Jonny Coates (Rippling Ideas), with contributions from Shane Alsop (eLife/Sciety), Dr Katherine Brown (The Company of Biologists) and Thomas Guillemaud (Peer Community In).
The global dimension of AI is addressed directly in two linked presentations. Nikesh Gosalia (Cactus Communications) will ask whether AI promotes equity or entrenches division in global knowledge systems, while Simone Ragavooloo (Frontiers) draws on early adoption lessons to explore how responsible AI use can support research integrity worldwide.
Complementing the main sessions are 15 to 20 optional lightning talks interspersed throughout the programme..
Mark Carden concludes: “With a range of registration rates and a deliberately inclusive approach to participation, Researcher to Reader 2026 positions itself less as a traditional conference and more as a working meeting for the scholarly communications community. For those seeking structured debate, honest reflection and cross-sector dialogue, it offers an opportunity to slow down and think collectively about where scholarly communication is heading next.”