The future of scholarly communication: rethinking peer review and editorial roles in the digital age

Scholarly publishing and communication are the foundation of evidence-based practices and innovation in society. However, this critical area of academia is facing sustainability challenges, both within and beyond academic institutions and research entities. This article critically examines the evolving landscape of scholarly communication in the digital age, highlighting the transformative roles of peer review and editorial functions amid technological advancements, such as AI. The article argues that insufficient institutional recognition of the production of academic knowledge, such as editorial and reviewing work, despite their significant role in research quality, ethical dilemmas in knowledge production, funding problems, and research misconduct (e.g. plagiarism and data fabrication) pose significant implications for the sustainability of the current model of scholarship communication. Other concerns include ensuring quality amid rapid scientific developments such as AI, balancing financial sustainability with open research, and reviewer fatigue. Going forward, strategies such as increasing the premium on contributions to knowledge production, rather than mainly focusing on the product (i.e. publications), to incentivise active uptake of editorial roles, and expanding availability and access to research resources can go a long way to ensuring a robust and sustainable scholarly communication ecosystem.