ACS Publications is making a strategic investment in Research Signals Limited (Signals), a company developing innovative technologies that analyze and evaluate manuscript submissions and publications to help safeguard the scholarly record and strengthen our shared commitment to transparency, accountability, and research integrity in scientific publishing.
Signals co-founders Elliott Lumb and Tiago Barros.
The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce a strategic investment in Signals, an innovative start-up developing cutting-edge technology to help publishers safeguard research integrity. By combining network analysis, expert knowledge, and AI, Signals delivers comprehensive and transparent evaluations of manuscripts and publications to both publishers and researchers.
This investment, facilitated by ACS Ventures, reinforces our commitment to upholding the highest standards in scientific publishing and ensuring that the global research community can trust the work it relies upon.
Growing Challenges in Publishing
Progress depends on trust.
Researchers, educators, policymakers, and the public all rely on the accuracy and reliability of published findings. Fraudulent and even unintentionally misleading practices can erode confidence in science, misdirect future research, and impact public health and safety. As technology and global collaboration exponentially accelerate the volume of scientific output, the resulting surge in discovery introduces new vulnerabilities.
Traditional approaches, such as manual checks and peer review, are no longer enough to catch and eliminate manuscript and data manipulation at the scale and sophistication driven by new technologies. Publishers need scalable, technology-driven solutions to identify problems before they reach readers.
Why We Chose to Invest in Signals
ACS Publications has long championed scientific integrity as a cornerstone of its publishing mission. Maintaining this trust requires constant vigilance and innovation, and the evolving challenges facing scientific publishing today demand new solutions.
Signals combines the innovation of a start-up with deep expertise in scientific research and publishing integrity. Coupled with our long-standing legacy and robust infrastructure, this forges a powerful partnership that blends entrepreneurial speed with institutional strength.
Signals’ unique combination of networked research data, expert knowledge, and artificial intelligence allows their platform to:
- Detect research integrity risks across manuscript content, author information, and the related citation graph
- Identify patterns of misrepresentation, unintentional and fraudulent, that may elude traditional screening methods
- Provide actionable insights to editors and publishers, enabling proactive intervention to avoid the spread of problematic publications and retractions
“Protecting the integrity of the scholarly record through better tools to detect research integrity problems is core to the mission of ACS, and the products that Signals offers will help us do just that. We are excited to help take Signals to the next level.”
–Sarah Tegen, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Publishing Officer, ACS Publications
By investing in Signals, we aim to accelerate access to these capabilities while supporting a solution that benefits the entire scholarly community, expanding beyond ACS journals. This collaborative approach, which includes adding Sarah Tegen to the Signals board, fosters a stronger publishing environment that’s more resilient against shared challenges.
A Shared Vision for the Future
ACS and Signals share a vision of a research ecosystem built on transparency, accountability, and trust. Together, we aim to:
- Strengthen safeguards against misconduct at every stage of the publishing process
- Empower editors, reviewers, and researchers with tools that enhance decision-making
- Protect the integrity of the scholarly record, ensuring that discoveries stand on solid ground
This partnership exemplifies our proactive approach to emerging challenges.
“This investment from ACS highlights that research integrity is a critical priority for the entire scientific community. ACS’s backing validates our technology, and our approach, positioning us as the leader in research integrity solutions. By partnering with ACS, we can rapidly scale our impact across its vast portfolio and collaborate to set the new standard for how the world evaluates and trusts research.”
–Elliott Lumb, Signals Co-founder