Biological and Biomedical Science Societies Launch BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium to Safeguard Society Publishing

Biological and Biomedical Science Societies Launch BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium to Safeguard Society Publishing

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (SEBM), and Shock Society today announced the launch of BioCore: A Society Publishing Consortium, a new collaborative initiative designed to strengthen society-led publishing in the biological and biomedical sciences.

BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium unites leading scientific societies around a shared mission: to strengthen publishing integrity, increase their publications reach and impact, ensure long-term financial sustainability, and further amplify the collective voice of the scientific societies and their communities.

Eric E. Kelley, PhD, President, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) introduces the concept here: "Scholarly scientific societies were founded on a key need - the need for scientists to share and debate the latest research findings, initially through publications and conferences. Three core principles best describe the value of scholarly societies: first, as non-profits, societies return excess resources back to the community- a virtuous cycle; second, societies place the highest value on research integrity; and third, societies represent the collective voices of scientists committed to the betterment of humanity." Kelley continues: "Today, we see a need to strengthen those three core principles. It is time that scholarly societies in the biological and biomedical sciences band together to ensure their sustainability, identify new paths for the communication of science, and strengthen and reestablish trust. BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium is designed as a home for scholarly societies in the biological and biomedical sciences that is owned and governed by the member societies, supported by staff and resources to expand reach and impact, and ensure research integrity."

As commercial consolidation accelerates and pressures mount on independent journals, BioCore offers a society-first solution that is flexible for societies already partnering with publishers. By working together, member societies can:

• Strengthen resilience and society financial performance in a changing publishing landscape by sharing staff, resources, and expertise.
• Preserve trust and quality through a shared commitment to research integrity.
• Reinvest in science by ensuring publishing revenues support conferences, fellowships, education, and community programs that benefit researchers directly.
• Amplify collective impact to ensure society voices remain strong in global publishing and policy discussions.

"BioCore will strengthen the society-led publishing model our field depends on-one that protects research integrity, supports authors and reviewers, and reinvests in science. For SSR, that means sustaining the reproductive biology community, although BioCore's impact will extend across the broader biological and biomedical sciences, ensuring that society-led publishing continues to serve researchers everywhere," said Mellissa Mann, PhD, President, Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR).

Michael N. Lehman, PhD, President, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (SEBM), added, "SEBM's multidisciplinary mission will thrive through BioCore's collaborative framework. By aligning on integrity, efficiency, and shared reach, we will ensure that society-led journals remain trusted homes for high-quality research across biology and medicine."

"The Shock Society is committed to collaborating with BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium to build a publishing ecosystem that champions broad accessibility and the long-term sustainability of scientific societies," shared Haichao Wang, PhD, President, Shock Society. "This shared endeavor will ensure vital research continuously reaches both researchers and, ultimately, the patients battling shock, trauma, sepsis, and critical illness."

BioCore represents a strategic response to the growing consolidation of publishers, the challenges emerging in research integrity, and the threats to mission-driven publishing. With this launch, FASEB, SSR, SEBM, and the Shock Society reaffirm the importance of society journals as trusted homes for research and societies as the homes for their scientific communities.