Case Study Springer Nature and Zapnito: 5 Years on Table of Contents
Introduction 0307
Showcase 0817
Behind the Paper 1822
Community Collections 2328
Building on 5 Years of Success 2931
More than Standalone Niche Networks 3236
A True Partnership 3738 Introduction Springer Nature’s Vision
Springer Nature’s mission has always been to open doors to discovery by publishing robust and insightful research, supporting the development of new areas of knowledge and making ideas and information accessible around the world.
To achieve their aim, this global publisher actively listens to the communities they serve and provides new ways for people to engage with their vast library of journals.
04 5 Years On
5 years on, this statement has never been more true. We know great ideas, and great progress, Communities have transformed how Springer Nature come when you get great minds together in a participates in, and partners with, the people they serve. room. Our communities will provide online 'rooms of experts'. They strengthen relationships with, and between, researchers from all over the world. They supplement We're not trying to create broad social conference attendance when regular, face-to-face contact is networks - there are plenty of those - this is not possible. about bringing focused communities together without all the noise. Communities have helped to strengthen Springer Nature’s identity as a leader in academic publishing. We want to foster and continue the They reach beyond the journals themselves and get to the conversations that are already happening, and provide development and collaboration heart of what matters - the people. opportunities for researchers around the globe.
Steven Inchcoombe Chief Publishing Officer & Board Member Springer Nature 05 5 Years On: A Snapshot Springer Nature Communities strengthen 20 3m 2400 relationships with Active Communities Page Views (2020 Content Items (to date) the research community
Zapnito has given us a platform for community Increasing Journal Fostering Scientific Enabling Innovation discussion around our journals, with little development Awareness & Value Collaboration time needed from us, helping to raise our visibility and strengthen our relationship with the research community.
Ben Johnson Former Head of Communities & Engagement, Improving Customer Launching New Products Springer Nature & Services Understanding
06 Timeline
Nature Partner 2016 2017 Sponsored Multi-Brand, Journal Growth Expansion Editorial Board Content Subject-Specific Communities Phase Phase Communities Marketing Hubs Communities
2015 Microbiology New Nature Sustainability New Editorial Product 2018 Pilot Journal Community Springer Nature Innovation Refinement Phase Communities Brands Phase
07 Showcase Use Cases
Innovation has always been vital to Springer Nature in opening new doors to research, and using technology to make science more accessible. Springer Nature uses Zapnito to do exactly this, across 3 main types of communities:
Scientific research communities for Private journal editorial board Sponsored thought leadership sites authors, editors and regular communities contributors
09 Scientific Research Communities
Communities like Nature Ecology & Evolution and the Sustainability Community are hubs for the sharing and discussion of news and opinion around journal research.
The community is a safe space to share written and multimedia content, to collaborate with like-minded experts and researchers while also providing a platform for expanding one's network.
For Springer Nature, the community drives journal submissions and subscriptions, and increases brand loyalty.
10 Scientific Research Communities
Authors are invited to contribute to scientific research communities by the community manager, allowing them to post content freely.
Zapnito communities use channels to organize content - the flexibility of this feature means publications can be filtered to suit the needs of members.
Channels can also be added or removed at will, meaning categories can be created for temporary areas of interest such as COVID19.
11 Scientific Research Communities: Microbiology
Nature Microbiology is one of Springer Nature’s most prominent research communities. It seeks to unite reseand policymakers with the aim of boosting advances in the field of microbiology and improving researchers’ awareness of its societal importance.
In addition to original research, Nature Microbiology is home to reviews, news, features and correspondence from the brightest minds within the industry. Like all Nature-branded journals, it contains its own in-house team of editors and a rigorous peer-review process.
Expert profiles are given greater standing on Nature research communities, meaning the voices with important things to say are able to cut through the noise.
12 Private Journal Editorial Board Communities
Springer Nature now have 4 private communities of editorial board members.
These communities provide all the information they need to be an effective board member and to benefit from the connection the role brings to the BMC team and fellow editors.
For Springer Nature, it enables efficient group communication, adds prestige to the role of board member to aid recruitment, and helps get more value from the editorial board.
13 Private Journal Editorial Board Communities
Board members use their communities to discover new workshops, engage in Q&A and interact with relevant multimedia content. They also support members to become advocates, by sharing advice on how to promote the journals.
They are critical in terms of onboarding new Editors. Dedicated channels for new board members and e-learning courses ensure each member is welcomed and initiated into the journal ethos and process, and given guidance on editorial decisions.
This allows Springer Nature to deliver training at scale, with 1000 board members completing the Scientific Reports Editorial Community course alone.
14 Sponsored Thought Leadership Sites
Springer Nature is able to diversify revenue streams with sponsored projects that require user-generated content. Examples include:
A Community Map of Cancer Immunity, supported by F. Hoffman-La Roche, is based around a research paper published in Nature for which the pharma sponsor was keen to invite researchers’ participation with an interactive figure.
Skin Research at Dior Science is another sponsored thought leadership site. In partnership with Dior, the community hosts content in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Springer Nature were able to provide a quick and creative content marketing solution to these clients, setting up the site in just a few weeks.
15 Sponsored Communities: Nature Research Awards
The Nature Research Awards for Inspiring Women in Science are a twin set of awards sponsored by Estée Lauder.
Since its inaugural year in 2018, the awards have honoured women in the fields of Science Outreach and Scientific Achievement. The community aims to encourage girls and women to consider careers in STEM subjects and highlight the vital contributions made by women to the world of science.
Sponsored programs like this allow brands to align themselves with Springer Nature’s prestigious reputation within the research community, doing so in a meaningful way that offers real-life benefits to participants.
16 Strengthening Relationships with Authors
Online communities strengthen the relationship between publisher and author.
These relationships used to be transactional. Now, they have a richer meaning with more touchpoints and opportunities for participation.
Editors
Content
Stronger Relationships
Networking Engagement Authors
Regular Contributors
17 Behind the Paper Contributors share the personal stories behind their research. Behind the Paper (BTP) Authors are invited to tell the informal stories behind their research
Strengthening the relationships between Springer Nature and the research community is paramount to securing the journal submissions from leading scientists.
Behind the Paper is an initiative that allows authors to tell the story behind their research, in their own words. These stories provide an informal insight into the human behind the scientific, formal paper.
Zapnito’s intuitive publishing features allow authors to publish their BTP posts themselves, with no training required. Posts are unedited in order to retain the personal touch of the author and build trust.
19 Engagement with the Research Community Behind the Paper adds value to the author experience of submitting to Springer Nature
30 journals invite their authors to write Behind the Paper has driven genuine and sustained Behind the Paper engagement with the research community.
Authors from across the portfolio of journals contribute to the 40% of authors agree to take part program - 40% have agreed to take part to date, highlighting its popularity. Their peers are engaged with the posts, generating 2.8m pageviews per year that otherwise might 2100 Behind the Paper posts from authors and 800 from editors per year have been missed.
Behind the Paper is just one way in which Springer Nature 2.8 million pageviews per year has added value to the author experience, creating more touchpoints and improving relationships with the research community. 95% of authors are satisfied with their experience
20 Behind the Paper Drives Journal Engagement
Communities are a source of good quality, engaged traffic for journal articles.
Nature.com receives over 140,000 clicks from communities per year. This amounts to 12% of article traffic, and for some articles, the community is the main source of traffic (right).
On average, visits to nature.com from a community are longer in duration and lead to more page visits than those from social media.
39% 16% 14% 11% 11% 6% 3%
Other Nature Twitter Google Facebook Direct PubMed Research Community 21 Behind the Paper Increases Author Loyalty
I prefer society journals, because the society's social connections are one of few things that can ensure the quality of science.
Initially, I thought that one downside of Nature Eco&Evo is that it does not have a society that it is based on.
60% of authors say Behind the Paper can mitigate my that they are more concern, because this connects likely to submit their researchers in ways that journal next article to articles alone cannot. Springer Nature
Springer Nature Author 22 Community Collections Expanding and amplifying journal content Community Content Extends Discussion Around Journals Community collections see the best research around a specific topic compiled for easy access, creating themed areas of discussion featuring a variety of perspectives.
These collections expand and amplify journal content with posts from the research community, creating and continuing conversations between researchers.
24 Flexible Communities Allow Authors and Regular Contributors to Share Expert Opinion
The COVID19 pandemic highlighted the need for quick and easy sharing of expert opinion among scientific and healthcare professionals.
Since March 2020, there have been more than 100 blog posts on Springer Nature communities related to COVID19, amounting to 53% of traffic to the Microbiology Community and 15% of traffic to the Social Sciences Community.
Authors, editors and regular contributors can all contribute and interact freely, allowing vital knowledge to be shared.
25 After the Paper Demonstrating impact in an Open Access world
One question rarely answered by research papers is what happens next - the aftermath of the months or years of research. This question formed the basis of Springer Nature’s ‘After the Paper’ programme.
Authors are invited back 12 years following publication to contribute to ‘After the Paper’ and share the effects their work had on their career.
10% of those invited contribute an ‘After the Paper’ post ― demonstrating the power of research to make a difference in the world and of the value of Springer Nature’s mission to open doors to discovery.
In an Open Access landscape, it is more important than ever that Springer Nature are able to demonstrate the value of partnering with them to publish journal articles.
26 Highlighting Under-Represented Authors
Community collections allow Springer Nature to connect a far more diverse collection of authors and draw attention to under-represented groups. These collections also strengthen relationships with these communities.
Recent collections from the community have included: • Black in cancer • Black in cardio • LGBTinSTEM day • Women in Engineering day
Each collection was written and organized by under-represented groups, shining a light on social groups and issues which otherwise might not have been given adequate focus.
27 Additional Partner Value
Springer Nature regularly invite authors from their partner journals to write their own Behind the Paper posts. This provides brand association with Nature Portfolio, giving additional credibility to these partner journals along with marketing and author engagement.
As Behind the Paper is a unique selling point for Springer Nature, this is an attractive prospect for researchers looking to gain more attention for their work.
28 Building on 5 Years of Success Optimizing the Journey
The last 5 years have seen major success for Springer Nature in building up their online communities and positioning them as hubs of expertise in multiple industries.
A major focus in the consolidation of this success is optimizing the user journey. With so many niche communities dedicated to specific topics, avoiding silos between communities is vital.
Rather than inviting authors to contribute to a specific community, today they are directed to this custom landing page.
This way authors can select the communities most relevant to them, as well as discover new ones.
30 Online Communities Strengthen Springer Nature’s Relationships with Researchers
Author service Driving Increasing Collections submissions Usage 2000 Behind the Paper 10 collections annually, expanding and posts annually, with a 60% of Behind the 40K clicks to amplifying journal 33% conversion rate Paper authors are more nature.com annually, content and a 95% satisfaction likely to submit to increasing usage for rate Springer Nature new launches
31 More than Standalone Niche Networks Springer Nature Communities in 2019
A snapshot of how Springer Nature’s multiple networks connect. Each circle represents a person/expert. The size and brightness of the expert represent influence. Clusters are networks. The closer the clusters, the more connections there are.
33 Springer Nature Communities in 2021
As the communities have matured and developed, the data has become more rich and interconnected.
3434 Cross-Discipline Communities
As Springer Nature continues to encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing between communities and industries, a number of dynamic, cross-discipline communities are due for launch in 2021 and beyond.
The Nature Portfolio Health Community is a prime example of researchers from different areas uniting around a common subject. By bringing together researchers from various scientific fields under the umbrella of healthcare, the community facilitates quicker paths to research and potentially life-saving discoveries.
35 The Future
A major focus for the future will be generating better, richer dater across the Springer Nature communities, to better understand the synergies and differences across and between them.
This data will allow Springer Nature to identify influencers, who can be leveraged in order to drive interaction with content and raise the profile of research, journals and communities.
It will also support innovation and growth across Springer Nature’s portfolio of products and services, using the insights and collective intelligence from their communities to direct their future.
36 A True Partnership Zapnito + Springer Nature
In the five years since this partnership began, Zapnito and Springer Nature have grown together and enabled each other to flourish. “ZapnitoZapnito enables enables us to empower us to our As a long-serving and trusted partner, Springer authors to express themselves and to Nature are given the opportunity to test out new discoverempower each other's our researchauthors in ways to that Zapnito features from early development and fewexpress traditional publishingthemselves platforms and allow.” to provide feedback which helps to further the discover each other's capabilities of the platform. Ed Gerstner Directorresearch of Journal in Policyways & Strategy,that few The strong relationship between the two Springer Nature organizations means Springer Nature can give traditional publishing honest feedback on what their members want out platforms allow. of the platform, helping Zapnito deliver a higher-quality product.
Ed Gerstner Director of Journal Policy & Strategy Springer Nature 37 To learn more about Zapnito’s work with Springer Nature...
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