Periodic Upheavals in the Universe of Periodicals

The universe of scientific periodicals is subject to a constant series of alterations. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently has found it necessary to remove some of its reviewers because they either failed to disclose key ties or they breached confidentiality. Gender representation in academia influences research productivity and impact from the perspective of sustainability in women's careers on campuses. A proposed Plan S in the context of open-access publications is a robust topic that continues to attract interest among major journals. More than 20 funders have joined the initiative, which is expected to be launched in 2021. The existence and growth in the number of predatory journals is of much concern. Some observations on each of these matters are as follows.