The Challenge

Springer Nature is a leading global publishing company that specializes in academic and professional content, focusing on science, technology, and medicine. It operates a wide array of journals, books, and digital platforms that cater to researchers, professionals, and students, including its flagship publication, Nature.

Springer Nature uses a range of channels to raise awareness of its publishing opportunities and to ultimately generate submissions to its journals, collections and editions from the research community. Amongst the channels Springer Nature (and other publishers) uses is direct email, or what are informally referred to as ‘Call for Papers’ emails. These are emails that are sent to Researchers to invite and encourage them to submit their research for publication. 

Anecdotal insight has revealed that Researchers are often receiving dozens of emails of this kind each day from competitor publishers and journals, and alsofrom predatory publishers.

Springer Nature was therefore keen to investigate if this was indeed the case, and if so, what the impact of this might be on researchers, and on the efficacy of their own ‘Calls for Papers’ emails. And consequently, how best to optimiseSpringer Nature communications via this channel to maximum response.

The Approach

DJS Research designed a two-phase research study intended to bring this topic to life and provide real, lived-experience of the issues at play.

Phase 1: Ethnographic diary study

20 Researchers from around the world at different career stages took part in a 2-week ethnographic diary study enabled through the Indeemo mobile ethnography platform. The diary study saw Researchers record the number of ‘Calls for Papers’ emails received, as well as their response to them – whether they were deleted, read or indeed prompted a submission. Participants also uploaded examples of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ emails, and shared video commentary of their appraisal of these in terms of relevance, design, tone, language and overall appropriacy.

Phase 2: Video depth interviews

8 Researchers from the study were invited to take part in follow-up virtual depth interviews that allowed a deeper exploration of themes and response emerging from their ethnographic contribution.

The Results

The research provided Springer Nature with a glimpse at the everyday experiences of Researchers receiving ‘Calls for Papers’ emails – how they land, are received and the impact of these - whether they generate response or action.

DJS Research provided an assessment of the impact of ‘Calls for Papers’ emails, and the extent to which their use was valid or effective.

The report provided tactical recommendations to allow Springer Nature to produce the optimal ‘Calls for Papers’ email in terms of content, visual design, tone, language and structure.

Testimonial

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your work in bringing this project to life, from recruiting and managing participants to sorting through a huge amount of qual data and turning it into something very tangible.

I appreciate there was a lot there to get through in such tight deadline!

I presented a condensed version of your report to our cross-Marketing workshop yesterday and the feedback was very positive, for example a colleague said ‘People took a lot from that – it was great. The slides with the views of authors’ inboxes were particularly impactful – lots of discussion around that!’

I wanted to share this with you and say thanks again!

Chloe O’Donnell Senior Research Analyst Springer Nature