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- "Russia creates a competitor to world leaders in the field of publishing scientific literature"
"Russia creates a competitor to world leaders in the field of publishing scientific literature"
Scientific articles by Russian authors will become massively available to foreign readers thanks to a platform for translating technical text with the help of AI. It has been developed in the publishing house "Nauka". Its director Nikolay Fedoseenkov told about it in an interview with Izvestia on the eve of Science Day. He also said that the publishing house is developing a platform for rapid publication of scientific articles. At the same time, he said, the collection "History of Russia" in 20 volumes, equipped with artificial intelligence, will soon be placed on the Internet for free access.
"The volume of our own collection of 500 journals will allow us to enter the world's top 10 publishers of scientific literature," he said
- Last year it was announced that Nauka would return to the Russian Academy of Sciences. How is this process progressing?
- The publishing house traces its history back to 1727, when an academic printing house was opened in St. Petersburg. Since then, the enterprise has always, except for the last two decades, been a structure of the Academy of Sciences. And it is right, as it is the statutory task of the RAS - to create, strengthen and raise the prestige of scientific books and journals. Therefore, last year the President decided to restore the previous order.
The legal procedure should begin, which will probably take the whole of this year. Meanwhile, the publishing house actively cooperates with the Russian Academy of Sciences in a large number of areas. Including, by the decision of the government, we are the only contractor for publishing scientific journals and books of the RAS.
- Russian journals have a low citation rate. Therefore, many scientists prefer to publish articles in foreign editions. How can this problem be solved?
- First, we should return indexing of Russian journals and systematically provide information about them in international databases. We should inform about the publication of new issues, the availability of a website, and the composition of the editorial board. This is a formal but important procedure - we need to make sure that Russian academic journals are seen all over the world.
In recent years, little has been done to develop journals. In particular, Russian-language versions were not indexed, so they fell out of international databases. We are fighting this. Now 141 academic journals have been handed over to the publishing house. We expect them to be indexed by the end of the year.
- What tasks does the publishing house set for itself?
- Russian scientific journals must stop being subsidized. They must pay for themselves in order to further develop Russian scientific periodicals with the money they earn. At the same time, international experience shows that a large package of journals is necessary for promotion in the world market. This makes it possible to sell subscriptions in bulk, in large "volumes" and interact directly with state library systems and scientific centers.
Having analyzed the possibilities, we came to the conclusion that we want and can publish up to half a thousand journals. In addition to the publications of the RAS, this package may include journals of regional branches of the RAS and academic institutions. With them "Nauka" can act as a co-founder of the journal. Small publishers benefit from this, because due to the volume effect there are fewer publishing costs. The volume of its own collection of 500 journals will make it possible to enter the top 10 global publishers of scientific literature.
"We have developed a model based on AI algorithms to translate scientific texts"
- Specialists point out that without translation into English, publications of Russian authors also remain a "thing in itself".
- Indeed, for journals to become available to the world community, they need to be translated into English and other languages. We have developed a model based on artificial intelligence algorithms for translating scientific texts. The program correctly and quickly translates scientific texts, charts, graphs and formulas from English, Chinese and a number of European languages. It showed good results in all cases.
The implementation of the program in the pilot mode will begin in 2024.
In the future, if the task is set, the model can be reoriented for translation from foreign languages into Russian. This is also important, because, for example, only a few hundred out of 6,500 Chinese journals are translated into English. The rest of PRC science is in Chinese and inaccessible to most scientists.
- Tell us about the digital platform for article preparation.
- In the past, articles could wait six months for publication. We inherited this archaic process. We are developing a platform that automates and synchronizes publishing processes. It will help all links to work faster and more efficiently.
For example, a reviewer must receive an article as soon as it arrives at the publishing house. If one refuses, he will be replaced by another. There will be non-material incentives for reviewers. Then, after processing, the article is sent to print or published electronically. Metadata is added automatically. In the end, publication should only take a few weeks.
- In your opinion, is the global market for publishing scientific periodicals fair?
- Publications that impose restrictions on Russian scientists exist. And there will probably always be. However, we can change the world with our own hands. For example, by creating a large package of Russian scientific journals, we can make this package more interesting. Our editorial and publishing system will be used by foreign authors as well. This is our contribution to the development of a just world order.
At the next stage, when the processes of publication and indexing are streamlined, we will take up the development of the system of distribution of domestic publications. We can say that Russia is gradually creating a competitor to the world leaders in the field of publishing scientific literature.
- Specialists note that Russian journals are published late. How is the problem solved?
- It is important to understand why the problem arises. For example, last year the Russian Academy of Sciences signed state contracts with Nauka to publish journals only on March 29, 2024. In fact, the work began on April 1. The publishing house accomplished a labor feat, almost catching up the five-month lag before the end of the year.
"The collection "History of Russia" will be fully published on the Internet in the form of a portal with AI"
- One of the significant projects of "Nauka" - the series "History of Russia". At what stage is this project?
- The collection consists of 20 volumes in 30 books. In each - almost 1 thousand pages. Work on the edition will continue for two more years. Now seven volumes have been published. The eighth and ninth are in the printing house, they will see the light in the near future. The period from 1991 to the present time will be devoted to one volume.
"History of Russia" - an extremely important project. The previous similar edition was published 60 years ago. And now there is a need to re-create a national historical narrative, which, among other things, will be able to resist falsifications and distortions.
It is worth noting that the "History of Russia" will be fully published on the Internet in the form of a portal with artificial intelligence. On this resource, users will be able to ask questions and receive verified information.
- What comparable projects are realized by the publishing house on a comparable scale?
- Nauka always has a lot of large projects. These are collections of essays, series of books. They last for decades. In recent years, we have returned to many projects that were previously suspended. For example, we resumed a series devoted to biographies of scientists.
We are also working to increase the circulation of important publications. Imagine three years ago, the academic collection of Dostoevsky's works was published in 300 copies. This is unacceptable for a country with a great culture.
- What projects does the publishing house plan for the 80th anniversary of the Victory?
- Academic Science to the Front" will be published, a publication that covers the work of scientists during the Great Patriotic War. A volume of "History of Russia" devoted to this period will also be published.
In addition, a number of monographs reflecting the events and fates of people during the war will be published. Most of these projects have already been launched.
"Ivan Kulibin was the chief mechanic of the academic printing house"
- The Academkniga network used to be represented in every major city. Do you plan to restore it?
- The publishing house used to be a monopoly, and people had no other way to buy our publications except in "Akademkniga" or through subscription. But then private publishers and bookstores appeared, and as a result the monobrand store of one publishing house became unprofitable. Now there is a bookstore in Moscow and one store each in St. Petersburg and Pushchino.
Now, with the Internet, marketplaces and e-books, it makes no sense to recreate the network. Nevertheless, some people are used to buying the publisher's books in one place. That is why we keep several stores. Including in Pushchino, because in the science city it is the only bookstore.
- In 2027 "Nauka" will be 300 years old. How do you plan to celebrate?
- We will strive to complete modernization projects by the anniversary. In addition, now we are preparing to print a book about the history of the publishing house. It will be published this year. We want readers on the eve of the anniversary had the opportunity to get better acquainted with "Nauka".
By the way, in the process of this work learn a lot of interesting things. For example, it turns out that the famous inventor Ivan Kulibin was the chief mechanic of the academic printing house and worked on the first printing presses.
- Can you tell about the publishing house in figures?
- Now "Nauka" has offices in three cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, as well as employees in 16 regions of the country. Last year we published 165 books. Of these - 107 in Moscow, 15 - in the editorial office of "Oriental Literature" (also mainly in Moscow), 19 - in St. Petersburg and 24 - in Novosibirsk. Compared to the previous year, the number of published books increased by 45%.
Last year, we printed 1.2 million printing sheets and issued almost a thousand scientific journals.
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