Publishing is about more than just publishing.
Publishing systems influence careers, institutional priorities, and ultimately what research gets done.
Publishing Unlocked helps researchers and research institutions develop publishing literacy to better understand the systems that shape research.
Why publishing literacy matters
Researchers are taught how to conduct research and write scholarly articles. Far less attention is given to the systems that determine how research is evaluated, disseminated, and rewarded.
Yet these systems matter.
Researchers make publishing decisions based on collegial advice, incentives, assessment practices, and funding requirements. Together, these shape how academic success is defined and recognized. They affect career progression, funding opportunities, and the ability to share research results effectively.
Over time, they even do more than simply evaluate research: they help shape what research gets done.
Becoming a researcher today therefore requires more than disciplinary expertise. It also requires understanding the systems within which research takes place.
Publishing literacy is the ability to navigate and critically assess those systems.
“I highly recommend Curt Rice’s workshops for better information about open access, Plan S, rights retention, and more.”Prof. Johan RooryckFormer Director, cOAlition S
For researchers
A workshop that demystifies publishing
Publishing Unlocked is a workshop for researchers who want to better understand how academic publishing works and how publishing decisions influence research careers.
Participants explore the formal rules and unwritten conventions of academic publishing, along with the systems, incentives, and policies that shape scholarly communication. Topics include peer review, research assessment, journal selection, open access, funder requirements, artificial intelligence and the changing landscape of scholarly publishing.
The workshop is independent, research-based, and designed to build publishing literacy. It helps researchers understand the broader environment in which publishing decisions are made and research careers develop. Participants leave better equipped to make informed publishing decisions, navigate funder requirements, and manage their careers strategically.
Workshops are particularly well suited for PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career faculty.
“Curt’s workshops are insightful, blending education and entertainment. He gives a nuanced overview of the publishing landscape.”Rachel Thomas, PhDDirector, Simula Academy
For institutions
Strategic conversations about research culture
Publishing literacy is an institutional capability.
Publishing systems help shape the environment in which research is conducted. They influence what is rewarded, how success is measured, and how researchers make decisions about their work.
For institutional leaders, questions about publishing, research assessment, open science, and scholarly communication are therefore not merely technical issues. They are strategic issues.
Publishing Unlocked works with institutional leaders to explore how these systems influence research culture, research priorities, and institutional outcomes.
The goal is to help institutions better understand the structures that shape research, and to use that understanding to strengthen research culture, support informed decision-making, and prepare for a changing research landscape.
“Curt Rice is an inspiring speaker with innovative perspectives. I enthusiastically recommend him.”Prof. Londa SchiebingerStanford University
Writing, Interviews & Commentary
The ideas behind Publishing Unlocked have been featured in articles, interviews, and commentary on scholarly publishing, research assessment, open science, and research culture.
Recent appearances include interviews in Nature and contributions to The Scholarly Kitchen, LSE Impact Blog, and WonkHE.
- Nature interviewNature, 2025
- Nature interviewNature, 2026
- Diamond Open Access Needs Institutions, Not HeroesThe Scholarly Kitchen, 2026
- Why Is Research Led by Women Retracted Less Frequently?LSE Impact Blog, 2026
- Academic Freedom Isn't a Privilege—It's a Preparedness StrategyWonkHE, 2026
For broader writing on higher education, leadership, research policy, and gender equality, visit Curt-Rice.com. If you read Norwegian, I am also a regular guest columnist for Universitetsavisa.
About Curt Rice
My interest in publishing literacy has been shaped by more than three decades working across the research system in many different roles.
Across all of these, I repeatedly encountered the challenges described above. Publishing Unlocked was created to help researchers and institutions better understand the systems that shape research, research careers, and research culture.
Before becoming Director of cOAlition S, I served as Rector of Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Executive Director of Fulbright Norway, and earlier as Vice Rector for Research at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. I also served as the founding director of the Centre for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics (CASTL), a Norwegian Centre of Excellence.
My goal is to help researchers and institutions better understand the systems within which they operate, develop publishing literacy, and engage more thoughtfully with the structures that shape research.
My perspective is informed by experience as a researcher, editor, academic leader, and policymaker. It is also shaped by a longstanding interest in how institutions create the conditions for successful and responsible research.
Ready to bring Publishing Unlocked to your institution?
Whether you are interested in a workshop, a keynote presentation, or a strategic conversation about research culture, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect.