Twelve editors at the Journal of Clinical Immunology (JoCI), published by Springer Nature, resigned from their positions to establish a new journal, the Journal of Human Immunity, to be published by Rockefeller University Press. Geneticist Jean-Laurent Casanova, who stepped down as co-editor in chief of JoCI, explained to the Retraction Watch website that the group was unhappy with Springer Nature’s pressure to increase the number of articles the journal published amid the process of switching to an open-access model.
The discord is not new. Until 2022, the journal was officially associated with the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS), a US-based research organization that severed ties with the journal and canceled its contract with Springer Nature, stating it was unable to reach an agreement with the publisher that “honored and valued CIS’s role and participation in JoCI.” According to Casanova, the dispute intensified after the publisher prevented scientific societies from participating in the process of choosing new editors.
Springer Nature has not commented on the mass resignation. Casanova will be editor in chief of the new journal, which will charge authors a processing fee of US$3,500 per paper, compared to the US$5,000 charged by JoCI. Rockefeller University Press will share responsibility for the Journal of Human Immunity with the International Alliance for Primary Immunodeficiency Societies, which will receive a portion of the income generated by publication charges. “The money paid to publish articles in the journal will be returned to our field,” said Casanova.
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