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editor.mja.com.au
MJA Editor-in-Chief
@editor.mja.com.au
840 followers 1K following 75 posts
Ginny Barbour, Editor-in-Chief, Medical Journal of Australia. Haematologist originally, Open Science advocate, editor.
See @mja.com.au for MJA & InSight+ posts
https://www.mja.com.au/ https://insightplus.mja.com.au/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
hansonmark.bsky.social
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Great discussion at launch today of 2030 Healthy Countdown Supplement, published in the MJA www.mja.com.au/journal/2025...
Sharon Goldfeld, Kate Lycett, Pasi Sahlberb, Planning Saw & Prue Warrilow
Very proud at @mja.com.au to publish from this important project www.aracy.org.au/future-healt...
Four speakers
November 10, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
Jayne McFadyen and colleagues' critique of a past report of inpatient psychiatric treatment for gender diverse children provides an essential element of evidence‐based medicine - the patient's voice

Read the research: buff.ly/VYbd4yW

ABC article: buff.ly/vUBCwA7

7:30 report:
Decades-old study influences modern trans youth healthcare debate
Sarah Ferguson presents Australia's premier daily current affairs program, delivering agenda-setting public affairs journalism and interviews that hold the powerful to account. Plus political…
buff.ly
October 6, 2025 at 11:00 PM
editor.mja.com.au
Last week, at a ceremony on the University of Wollongong campus on the beautiful lands of the Wandi Wandian and Dharawal Peoples @mja.com.au were honoured to receive a walking stick from Uncle Paul Scott who carved it for the 2025 Special Issue on Indigenous Health. www.mja.com.au/journal/2025...
EiC Ginny Barbour receiving the stick from Uncle Paul Scott The story of the walking stick written by Uncle Paul Scott The cover of the 2025 MJA Special issue on Indigenous Health
September 30, 2025 at 10:51 PM
editor.mja.com.au
Key finding: "Extreme heat, floods, bushfires, poor air quality &
communicable diseases will escalate health risks.
Those with pre-existing health conditions, including mental ill-health, are most at risk. This includes the very young & our older populations... www.acs.gov.au/pages/nation...
Cover of Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment
September 15, 2025 at 4:21 AM
editor.mja.com.au
It's been a long road to an Australian CDC - and one of the first discussions of this was in a conference report published back in 1987 in @mja.com.au onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.5...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Australia is about to get a centre for disease control. How will it tackle public health challenges? | Allen Cheng for the Conversation
Immediate issues for the agency will include bird flu, immunisation and misinformation, as well as the challenges of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But there’s a lot we don’t know yet – and can w...
www.theguardian.com
September 8, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
publichealthaus.bsky.social
The Australian CDC will provide central, credible information, with threats like bird flu, and #PublicHealth misinformation and falling immunisation rates, PHAA CEO Adj Prof Terry Slevin told AAP. The bills to establish the CDC were introduced to parliament on 3 Sept. Read story: shorturl.at/Agzk7
MSN
shorturl.at
September 5, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
🔔 NEW in InSight+

The National Mental Health Commission’s 2024 Report Card shines a spotlight on the urgent need for a more coordinated and equitable mental health system in Australia.

Read more: buff.ly/74Qs4Ct
September 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
This week in InSight+

While health care practitioners are aware of “Doctor Google”, they may not be aware that their patients are turning to AI chatbots for mental health information, clinical advice, and real-time support.

buff.ly/NHofB2Y
August 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
Health care both contributes to and is affected by climate change. InSight+ spoke with researchers who recommend that Australia follow other nations and commit to considering environmental impact in healthcare technology assessments

buff.ly/a4PWVgL
August 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
ginnybarbour.bsky.social
Still time to register for this today!
ausrepro.bsky.social AusRN @ausrepro.bsky.social · Aug 6
Care about #reproducibility in research & publishing? Join this webinar on Aug 27th, jointly organised by @aimosinc.bsky.social & @ausrepro.bsky.social on statistical reproducibility with @michelenuijten.bsky.social & @tomhardwicke.bsky.social Free - register here qut.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
August 26, 2025 at 8:34 PM
editor.mja.com.au
Important new paper published online first in @mja.com.au today on the public health impacts of mining in Australia. We are familiar with the #environmental and #climate effects of mining but the health impacts of mining in the general population are poorly studied.
www.mja.com.au/journal/2025...
The public health impacts of mining in Australia
A multisectoral approach and stronger multilevel government coordination are required to address the health impacts associated with proximity to mining and exposure to toxic chemicals
www.mja.com.au
August 25, 2025 at 1:11 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Very important stance by the journal. NB this kind of interference and its intensity might seem to be a new thing but it's not uncommon for academic journals to have to resist pressure like this from time to time.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
RFK Jr demanded a vaccine study be retracted — the journal said no
In a rare move for a US public official, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr called for a Danish paper finding no link between aluminium in vaccines and disease to be retracted.
www.nature.com
August 22, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
🔔 NEW in the Medical Journal of Australia

Innovative approaches to fall prevention in community‐dwelling older adults

✍️ Kim Delbaere, Catherine Sherrington, Catherine M Said and Vasikaran Naganathan

buff.ly/xIY4PQG
August 18, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
Listen to the latest MAJ podcast, as we celebrate 10 years of clinical care standards with Chief Medical Officer of the Commission Conjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick and Clinical Care Standards Director Dr Alice Bhasale

🎧 buff.ly/pmavSGs
August 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
croakeynews.bsky.social
Some history from an Indigenous scholar on the weaponisation of starvation to acquire land www.croakey.org/some-history...
Some history from an Indigenous scholar on the weaponisation of starvation to acquire land
www.croakey.org
August 18, 2025 at 6:55 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Very proud that the current issue of @mja.com.au focuses on #healthy #ageing - one of today's most important societal health challenges. buff.ly/s3JLbtv
Articles on: fall prevention; indicators of quality & safety of long term aged care; models of care across settings supporting ageing in place
Cover of MJA issue on healthy ageing
August 18, 2025 at 6:30 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Some fascinating history here including reference to the 1934 account in @mja.com.au of Weil's disease in cane workers in Northern Queensland. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
Image of cane burning Map showing cases of Weil's disease
August 18, 2025 at 1:03 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Fascinating @mja.com.au podcast on 10 years of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality with Commission Chief Medical Officer Conjoint Prof Carolyn Hullick & Clinical Care Standards Director Dr Alice Bhasale
www.mja.com.au/podcast/223/...

Hear more at this webinar safetyandquality.tv/ccs-10/
MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 16: Clinical Care Standards - a decade of excellence
A little over 10 years ago the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released its first national clinical care standard.A perspective on the subject is published in the MJA today ...
www.mja.com.au
August 17, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
A new study has found significant variations in the quality of aged care across Australia, highlighting the need for targeted quality improvement programs

Read more: buff.ly/FQbGHu9
August 15, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
ausrepro.bsky.social
Care about #reproducibility in research & publishing? Join this webinar on Aug 27th, jointly organised by @aimosinc.bsky.social & @ausrepro.bsky.social on statistical reproducibility with @michelenuijten.bsky.social & @tomhardwicke.bsky.social Free - register here qut.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
August 6, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
🔔 This week in InSight+

Five stories of excellence from across Australia reveal how health services are using the Clinical Care Standards to drive meaningful improvements in safety, consistency and outcomes for patients.

buff.ly/F1ekFXI
July 28, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by MJA Editor-in-Chief
mja.com.au
🔔 NEW in the Medical Journal of Australia

Dialysis care in Australia: a call for reform and innovation

✍️ Dharshana Sabanayagam, Angela Makris, Frederika Sciberras, Nicole J Scholes‐Robertson and Germaine Wong

buff.ly/OUoBdVO
July 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Editors of @nejm.org and @jama.com pushing back against US administration's criticism of independent medical journals
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | This system is critical to Americans’ health. We must defend it.
Medical progress depends on independent journals to advance science without political interference.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 28, 2025 at 2:42 AM
editor.mja.com.au
Heard the news about the UK lowering the voting age to 16?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Here's the rationale for this in Australia - published last year as part of VicHealth Future Healthy Countdown 2030 supplement in @mja.com.au
www.mja.com.au/journal/2024...
www.mja.com.au/journal/2024...
Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash
July 17, 2025 at 10:47 PM