People of Publishing: An interview with Kim Eggleton

Publishing is an industry with the power to really transform lives, whether that be through the latest bookseller, or an innovative research paper. But without our people, this wouldn’t be possible.  

Publishing people connect creators and consumers everywhere, bringing stories and ideas to life. The ‘People of Publishing’ campaign was created to celebrate some of the individuals who are at the heart of this process.

Kim Eggleton, Head of Research Integrity and Peer Review at IOP Publishing, is one of the eight selected ‘People of Publishing’ within the first cohort.

What was your breakthrough moment?

I’ve been incredibly lucky, especially during my time with IOP Publishing (IOPP), to have had the support to explore and take on interesting work.

When I came back from maternity leave in 2019, IOPP offered me an amazing opportunity to focus completely on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) and research integrity – topics which were already of great interest but that I was doing “around the edges” of another role. For IOPP to recognise the importance of these issues enough to invest in them with a dedicated role, I felt so privileged to be one of the first people in publishing to really do focused work in this area. I wouldn’t be where I am now without that space and investment. Huge credit and thanks to my former manager for seeing the opportunity and believing in me!

…my knowledge has grown so much in this industry. Not only do we curate knowledge, but we learn too – the learning and development opportunities I’ve had have been brilliant, people are so willing to share their ideas and expertise.

How have you tried to make a change?

I’ve tried lots of things, some have been more successful than others! Where I’ve had most “success” is in identifying DE&I opportunities for improvement and using data and evidence to show how our processes within publishing can perpetuate circles of bias.

I always use data to support my argument, trying out an idea in two or more different ways to find which is most effective. Then I can be confident and stand proudly behind my proposal. Essentially, we want to see parity of opportunity for any researcher to become an author, reviewer or editorial board member and encourage more voices to participate in scientific endeavour.

What’s your greatest achievement so far?    

I knew that STM publishing could learn something from social sciences by introducing double anonymous peer review as a means of combatting bias. I love to learn new things, so I researched and tested, and the data I got back was really compelling, showing that the approach should give everyone a more equitable footing. I was convinced that we should offer the choice between single or double anonymous peer review across all IOPP journals and I was thrilled when the IOPP directors agreed.

I spent the next year managing a project team to convert all our proprietary journals to this new mixed workflow, and talking externally about what we were doing and why. Our data shows that the double-anonymous approach is working and breaks down bias in peer review. We recently won the ALPSP Impact Award for that project and it’s been so rewarding to see what many thought was a bit of an idealistic dream actually come to fruition, and work!

What don’t people know about the publishing industry?

That it is so full of passionate people. I’ve been in the industry long enough now to know that the vast majority of people within it truly care about what they’re publishing. We work in this industry because we genuinely care about science communication. You don’t need to be a scientist either – you can be a great communicator, organiser, developer, accountant or strategist. Our industry is full of talented people and many of us work for non-profit organisations because we really believe in their mission.

Believe in yourself and do some research into the opportunities – there are so many flavours of publishing. The question is which one looks most appealing to you? If you are clear about what it is that interests you that will really shine through when you’re applying for positions.

What does the future of publishing look like?

Different! There is so much variety within our industry, and constant change. At times that can make it a scary place to be, but the role scientific publishing plays in protecting the scientific record is so important. Recent research integrity scandals show us that! As an industry we need to get better at explaining the value we add and how we do it.

What advice would you give someone who wants to join the industry?

Do it! Believe in yourself and do some research into the opportunities – there are so many flavours of publishing. The question is which one looks most appealing to you? Why?

If you are clear about what it is that interests you that will really shine through when you’re applying for positions. Someone who’s done their homework is a really compelling proposition.   

And, finally, how would you describe a career in publishing in three words?

Fascinating – I’ve had such an insight into various issues during my career. From just understanding more about how academia works, to getting to flex my detective skills in research integrity.

Knowledge – I know this isn’t an adjective, but my knowledge has grown so much in this industry (more so than it did in education!). Not only do we curate knowledge, but we learn too – the learning and development opportunities I’ve had have been brilliant, people are so willing to share their ideas and expertise.

Friendly – I challenge anyone to find a nicer bunch of people than academic publishers. Everyone is so supportive and kind to each other, even when they work for different organisations. Challenges like research integrity are making us even more collaborative – just look at the STM integrity hub!

This interview with Kim Eggleton was written for People of Publishing for publishers.org.uk.