Proof of Concept: Typesetting of Research in the Academic Publishing Industry

The production, reading, and correcting of article proofs is a highly important part of scholarly publishing, and the proof of an article is the only place where researcher, journal production team, and publisher come together, directly or indirectly. Yet, the proof process is rarely examined or discussed, and scholars seem to regard it as something separated from the research process. This paper brings attention to this matter. It presents data from a survey on scholars’ experiences of article proofs and assesses the results in relation to the structure and business concept of the mainstream academic publishing industry. It elucidates the connections between research, offshore outsourcing of typesetting, the reign of quantitative values, and the quest for profit in academic publishing.