Staying true to its goal of making science accessible to the wider public through easy-to-understand formats, Karger Publishers is exploring a new platform to connect and advance health sciences by organizing the Basel edition of the annual Global Science Film Festival. Prof. Undine Lang, Clinic Director of the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel and Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Basel, explained to us what motivated her to participate in the panel discussion about the film “Happy Pills”.
Karger Publishers is awarding a prize to students for outstanding science communication during the Science Month (Wissenschaftsmonat, WIMO) of the University of Basel.
WIMO Finalists 2023 From left to right: Paul Lavander (Karger Publishers), Müller Naomi May, Schiener Tom, Stolte Thorald, Häfelfinger, Christoph Markus (Winner), Staub, Pierina (2nd place), Aebischer, Vera Katharina (3rd place)
Prof. Matthias Briel, Dep Clinical Research, Basel University, explained the congress-like format to us in an interview.
At Karger Publishers, we have wrapped quite a year. Aside from publishing more than 5500 articles in 2022, a lot more highlights happened, which inspires us to move forward into 2023.
Back from Remote
In spring 2022, coming back to the office after two years of predominantly working from home was a highlight for us as an organization. First and foremost, it was great to meet colleagues again in person, conduct workshops and other meetings face to face, and even host a company barbecue. We have learned a lot and adapted our remote work policy based on those experiences.
Open for Open
Our strategic principle of being “Open for Open” continued its momentum in 2022. For the 2023 publishing year, we have moved to flip two more journals to Open Access (OA), bringing the number of Gold OA journals in 2023 to over 40% of our research journal portfolio. We introduced Subscribe to Open, a pilot for initially two journals that will be turned fully OA for one year whenever subscriptions reach a pre-defined level. Finally, three more of our journals became Transformative Journals, yet another approach to fast-tracking journals to OA.
Taking Health Sciences Further
In our efforts to translate science into easy-to-digest formats for a broader audience, Karger acquired the science communication agency Research Publishing International (RPI). It fully supports our strategy offering products and services that go above and beyond publishing peer-reviewed scientific research. Through innovative podcasts, animations, video abstracts, and social media dissemination, RPI makes science more visible and presentable. Putting the emphasis on making knowledge applicable and actionable for healthcare practitioners and patients, we published our first Podcast series in July with our partner ResearchPod (a product of RPI and now a part of Karger). Based on the Fast Facts Handbook series the podcast gives updates on health topics by respective experts and is available via all known podcast channels. In addition, listen in on the popular Waiting Room blog.
Never Stop Learning
To support young researchers and PhD students from the very beginning, our Campus Courses in six languages started at the beginning of this year. The easy-to-understand courses teach students how to structure and write a research paper in order to get accepted and finally published by publishing houses in less time. Our ten courses, created and reviewed by health science experts in each topic and delivered through an engaging format, guide researchers through the entire process, helping them achieve publication success, and maximize the impact of their research. Our own employees took to the classroom too: with our internal Lifelong Learning Program, employee training and development was expanded and formalized into a comprehensive concept. One part of this is free access to LinkedIn Learning and granting everyone one hour of working time per week for training.
Powering the Next Generation of Inventors
2022 ended with the successful Vesalius Innovation Award ceremony during the STM Week in London at the beginning of December. The award honors startups that offer innovative solutions for the rapidly changing needs of the Health Sciences publishing and Open Science sector. It was exciting to see all the innovative ideas of the participants. Congratulations to ImageTwin, who offers a solution for detecting manipulations and duplications in the figures within scientific articles. And, not to forget, our new Ambassadors Program aims to give researchers – especially early career researchers – a helping hand in much of that labor that takes place outside the lab. Recognizing and showing appreciation for researchers’ excellence and efforts is important to us, as is supporting structures that let researchers thrive.
These are only a few of the highlights this year has brought us all. But we want to hear from you. What’s been your personal highlight? And what are you looking forward to in 2023? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
The Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) has been a fixed star in Karger’s calendar for a long time. Indeed, this year marks 60 years of participation for us. In 1963 , when we first joined the fair as an exhibitor, the worlds of scientific publishing and health sciences were quite different compared to today. The reasons for a scientific publisher to take part in this fair have also evolved over time, such as sales, placing orders, licensing and translation agreements, presenting new publications, cultural exchange, discussing new ideas, as well as maintaining contact with partners and peers. Throughout all the changes, the FBF has always provided a glimpse into the scientific publishing microcosm and the changing landscape of this industry.
When we look back at old pictures of previous FBFs, the evolution is most visible in the appearance of our booth – but of course there is so much more. Discover how some of our colleagues, who have been longtime participants of FBF, see the developments and what memories they have of this important book fair.
Chris, what does the Frankfurt Book Fair mean to you, and why is it still significant for scientific publishers?
Christian Box, Head of Academic & Research Markets, has been visiting the FBF in various functions since 2012.
“It’s easy to take the Frankfurt Book Fair for granted and underestimate its significance to our industry. The last two years aside, the book fair typically takes place the same week every year and, like most people who attend annually, I have a clear picture in my mind beforehand of who’s going to be there and where they will be in hall 4.2. Interestingly, it’s the regularity of the event that makes it so easy to see the newcomers and the changes, and as a kind of microcosm of the industry, one or two laps of the hall will give you a good feel for what and who is new.”
Joachim, what is your perception of the changes over the time you have attended the Frankfurt Book Fair?
Joachim Flickinger, Head of Healthcare Markets, has been visiting the FBF in various functions since 2006.
“I have been attending the FBF for 16 years in different roles with different employers. For me, the fair has always been an indicator of the development of the sector. During the first decade of the 2000s, the large number of mergers and acquisitions in the industry became apparent in the booths of those companies getting bigger and bigger, with some spanning across multiple aisles today. A regular visitor to the FBF could clearly notice the globalization of the sector. Right around that time in which the above-mentioned mergers were over, one could witness more and more publishers, agents, and other service providers, often from India and China, building their presence at the fair. And lately, digitalization also became evident: not only did publishers and other exhibitors implement less print and more digital features on their stands, but the number of service providers from the IT sector in publishing has been growing notably over the last 10 years. All in all, I would say the FBF has changed from an event that was used to negotiate and sell (business to business) to become an environment to display and discuss new ideas and technologies.”
Gabriella, what is your memory of the first time you attended the FBF?
Gabriella Karger, Chairwoman of the Board and publisher, has been visiting the FBF in various functions since the 80s.
“My first memory of the book fair dates back to the early 1980s, when – as a teenager – I entered the fabled halls for the first time on a weekday. Fabled because I heard about the fair every year from my father, Thomas Karger, about its spaciousness and its bustle, which I could see for myself at the time, though not only in the hall of trade publishers. And Karger realized its long-standing wish for a larger stand to display over 100 book titles, sample issues of all our magazines, and our advertising materials. And to hold discussions at four to five tables. A lot has changed since then – not only that we have almost no paper at the booth anymore. But the function of the trade show, meeting with important customers, competitors, and partners, has remained. And since I have been attending this important event for the publishing industry on business, there has never been any time left to look around the other halls… ”
Gregor, how have you perceived the FBF changing during the global COVID-19 pandemic?
Gregor Bangert, Lead, Regional Office Central Europe, has been visiting the FBF in various functions since 1992.
“The Book Fair stands for meetings and exchanges in the Frankfurt exhibition halls with customers and colleagues from all over the world. The Corona virus forced us into the digital space in 2020. We quickly reached the current limits of the virtual world. Instead of enjoying lively exchanges, we met in webinars that reminded me of elementary school lessons. Each webinar ended with the hopeful incantation “next year in Frankfurt.” In 2021, we sat protected by masks at a makeshift table, a publisher’s poster on a pop-up wall behind us and the plexiglas screen in front of us, behind which very few people wanted to talk. Fortunately, we were able to give webinars “live from the exhibition halls.” Now, with two years of pandemic experience and thanks to a science we are privileged to support at Karger, it will hopefully again be the book fair of lively encounters, where people discuss, promote, and gossip.”
We are curious about further changes. What are your experiences? Let us know in the comments.
Learn more about how we connect with our customers, partners, and competitors at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Also, visit us in Frankfurt at our booth H35 in hall 4.2 from October 19-23, 2022.
Last Friday, 25 March 2022, the annual Science Month (Wissenschaftsmonat or WIMO) was rounded off with the presentations of the six finalists. See who the finalists were and what earned three of them the Karger Prize. In addition, find out why supporting this event is so close to the heart of our chairwoman Gabriella Karger.
Gabriella Karger, what is Science Month?
Science Month is an annual event held at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Basel. For one month, students learn how to create, understand, and communicate scientific content. The Science Month Congress caps off the event.
This congress always features an invited keynote speaker. This year, Professor Gordon Guyatt from Canada will talk about “evidence-based medicine” (EBM) which describes the approach to medical education and practice.
And then six finalists are given 15 minutes each to present their own master’s theses and answer questions from the jury and the audience. About 220 participants usually attend.
For the first time, this final event took place in a hybrid format due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Why does Karger support it?
The idea of creating the Science Month was a fantastic idea of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Basel which we supported from the very beginning. Since the Bologna Reform started, all medical students have had to write a scientific master’s thesis in order to be admitted to the final examination. With the aim of providing students with the necessary knowledge, the faculty had decided in 2011 to organize this Science Month for students in their final year. The knowledge and skills imparted during the Science Month, as well as the time slots for self-study, allow students to learn general skills such as writing and evaluating abstracts or creating and giving a scientific presentation, and to actively apply them using their own master’s thesis as an example.
What does our involvement look like?
Firstly, we sponsor the Karger Prize, which goes to the three winners selected by a jury of professors of the Faculty of Medicine on the Congress Day that caps off the event. Secondly, Paul Lavender, the Lead of our Strategic Competence Center Education & Learning, hosts a seminar on “Open Access and Predatory Journals”. Predatory journals publish articles with little or no peer review in exchange for financial remuneration. Often, authors only find out they are dealing with a predatory journal when their paper is already published, and then it’s too late. Since predatory journals are not listed in the major databases, all the hard work of the authors was in vain. On top of that, their reputation is damaged, and they might have problems receiving funding. Therefore, we want to educate young researchers about these dangers in our seminar so they can already avoid those pitfalls early in their careers.
We also layout and publish the 198 abstracts of all participants of the Science Month in the Abstract Book. For some of the students this is the first time they see their name in connection with a published scientific work.
Who won the Karger Prize at this year’s Science Month?
After the 15-minute presentation of their master’s thesis, the finalists (Caterina Mariani, Lilian Mayrhofer, Vanessa Michlig, Maja Ramin-Wright, Sophia Reimann and Samuel Zumbrunn) answered questions from the audience. The 3rd prize went to Maja Ramin-Wright the 2nd prize to Vanessa Michlig, and the winner is Caterina Mariani. I would like to thank all participants, and I want to congratulate the winners on their outstanding ways to communicate science.
WIMO Finalists 2022
What made them win? Or maybe to put it differently: What is important in science communication?
Scientific articles must follow a certain structure: The abstract and introduction are followed by the explanation of the methods. After this, the results are presented and discussed. Of course, the sources are also important to mention. So, there is a whole lot of rules to follow and there are certain parts that cannot be left out. Apart from all these rules, the text also needs to be written in a convincing way. After all, a researcher wants to win over the reader of the article to support their line of thought and trust their results.
And why is supporting young scientists so important to Karger?
Distributing scientific findings in written form is still the foundation of scientific success. With their research results, young scientists will shape the future of health sciences. So, by actively contributing to the Science Month, we aim to advance young researchers as well as the health sciences. This is why we see supporting young researchers as such an important task, especially in Basel where our headquarters are located.
Karger Publishers has been going through substantial changes recently. There are several reasons for this transformation, and it is evident in all areas of the business. Karger now feels almost like a new company, but remains firmly rooted in its foundation.
Shifts in Scientific Publishing and Health Sciences
Looking at the environment in which Karger Publishers operates, there have been massive shifts in scientific publishing as well as in health sciences.
Digitization and technological innovation have been prominent topics in scientific publishing for quite some time now. But they are becoming more important in different areas, from handling the various steps of the production process, to digital products and service offers, and the use of artificial intelligence – just to name a few examples.
Another game changer is the Open Science movement, which is inevitably transforming the market. The needs and roles of the various stakeholders within the scientific community are shifting considerably.
In the health sciences, digital technology has become ever more important, e.g. in the subject area of digital health and the inclusion of digital biomarkers in research, as showcased by our journal Digital Biomarkers, or the Vesalius Innovation Award finalist ECG247 (formerly Appsens). This startup is developing a platform that enables the exploration of data from a comprehensive literature review of research questions.
Transformation of Our Business Areas
We have to be agile and adapt to this quickly developing environment – or as in a Briton proverb our CEO Daniel Ebneter likes to cite: “A calm sea never made a skilled sailor”. So, we are transforming our business to excel in these challenging times.
We have looked at the entire health sciences ecosystem to see how we can support the community with smart knowledge/content solutions. Previously, we focused solely on a segment of the research cycle, supporting researchers from the moment they had a paper ready to publish to when they searched the literature for their next research endeavor.
Building on our experience in this field, we are expanding our business areas to include products and service offers along the whole cycle of knowledge. In the future, researchers will be able to rely on us already in the phase of their research planning and execution. And we have expanded our business into the transfer knowledge cycle where scientific information is made clear for the clinical practice and patients.
Focus on Our Stakeholders and Their Needs
Supporting our stakeholders along the whole cycle of knowledge is only one way in which we aim to put their needs at the center of everything we do. We try to find out what motivates and inspires our customers, partners, and employees. In addition, we look at their pain points and tailor our products and services in a way that supports their work as well as possible.
New Company Structure and Collaboration System
All these changes are also reflected in our company structure, which was adapted to the new strategy at the beginning of 2019. The company is now structured into four arms:
Karger Labs focuses on strategy and innovation. This is where subject areas and strategic competencies are developed with the aim to transform them into products and services.
Karger Experience is aimed at communities and markets. Here we forge relationships to the various customers and partners in their environment and continuously learn about their needs.
Karger Factory manages the entire publishing process from the manuscript submission to the finished publication, as well as customer service, and IT solutions.
The Corporate Office encompasses all service functions.
This is not only our company structure, but is also physically reflected in our building. For the renovation of the office building at our headquarters in Basel, the new company structure was taken as a starting point to determine which teams would work where and what room setup they would need. We are looking forward to returning to our offices when working in the office is safe again.
With the introduction of a system of “Circles”, we have also transformed the way we work together within the company. Circles are decision-making bodies consisting of employees from all relevant parts of the business who collaborate on a specific topic. They have the power to take decisions within their remit or delegate tasks to other Circles, taskforces, or units. This ensures fast decision-making with all relevant points considered.
Finally, this transformation is also reflected in our new brand appearance.
What do science, publishing, and filmmaking have in common? All want to get their message across to their audience. By using the same narrative techniques as filmmakers, scientists can catch the attention of their audience and tell their story so that it stays better in the memories.
Karger Publishers is continuously exploring new ways of knowledge transfer from scientists to their various audiences. That’s why we have started organizing and sponsoring a few events that connect film, storytelling, and science.
In January 2020, we set out to host the first event in connection to film: “Karger Publishers at the Movies”. Our CEO, Daniel Ebneter, had seen the film “Human Nature”, a documentary about gene editing, at a festival. Gene editing describes technologies that enable scientists to change DNA by adding, removing, or altering certain parts of the genes. He was so inspired by this approach of explaining a challenging topic to a large audience that he brought it into discussion with our local scientific network in Basel, Switzerland, and the idea of Karger Publishers at the Movies was born. We organized two screenings of the documentary, followed by moderated panel discussions with experts in this field. The event enabled the transfer of complex scientific findings including its ethical questions in a simple and engaging way to a diverse audience.
Karger Publishers at the Movies 2020
Beyond Classic Research Papers
The positive reactions and interest of the participants showed us the power of cinema to explain scientific topics, and we began to explore further ways we could support the transfer of scientific knowledge with new means that go beyond the classic research paper. Therefore, we started cooperating with the Swiss Science Film Academy, its festival, and its founder, Samer Angelone. He holds two PhDs in film studies and biology and teaches at different universities. Coming from both worlds – film and science – his goal is to build a bridge between science and society via film. This is an aim to which we as a scientific publisher can very much relate, since we also want to facilitate scientific communication between the various actors in health sciences.
One of the first events we organized together with Samer Angelone was the workshop Storytelling for Scientists. A group of young scientists learned how they could use storytelling techniques to communicate their science more effectively.
Storytelling Workshop with Samer Angelone
Dramatic Storytelling in Science
In addition, Gabriella Karger, our Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, has been part of the jury of the Global Science Film Festival since 2020. Together with other experts she had the opportunity to evaluate the great variety of competing short films. We are honored to be part of the festival since we share the same goal of transferring scientific knowledge to various communities.
Some of the short films shown in the Global Science Film Festival are usually created by participants of the Filmmaking Marathon. This year, we sponsored the event for the first time and were able to send five participants from our network. The scientists were trained in tools used in dramatic storytelling and filmmaking to communicate their research, thereby making their science more readily accessible for a broader audience.
If you want to see some of these creations, join the Global Science Film Festival taking place in Zurich and Berne on November 19-28, 2021.
We will be presenting each of these events in more detail in upcoming blog posts. So, stay tuned!
With a background in business communications, English linguistics, business, and art sciences, Cora leads Corporate Communications at Karger Publishers. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, and trying out different cuisines. She loves tea and hates coffee.
