The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is an established international membership organisation and charity committed to the study of soil in its widest aspects. The society brings together those working within academia, practitioners implementing soil science in industry and all those working with or with an interest in soils. Research on soils and enhanced understanding and engagement with soils is essential for agricultural, landscaping, construction, remediation, conservation and archaeological projects as well as driving future policy direction. Our members are employed by both private and public sector institutions including academic universities, conservation charities, construction companies and agri-environmental consultancies.

The Journals

We are inviting publishers to tender to publish our two academic journals, the European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS) and Soil Use and Management (SUM). Both journals are currently published by Wiley.

European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS)

The European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS) is an international journal dedicated to advancing the theoretical and mechanistic understanding of soil properties and processes – from molecular to global scales, in natural and managed environments – through measurement and modelling. EJSS is published six times each year, with approximately 173 papers published in 2024 compared to 107 papers published in 2023. In 2023, the Impact Factor was 4.0, Citescore – 8.2, SCImago Journal Rank – 1.16 and h-Index – 136. Its Editor in Chief is Professor Jenni Dungait, who is supported by four Deputy Editors and a Social Media Coordinator. The journal was first published as the Journal of Soil Science in 1950 and this became EJSS in 1994. From 2022, EJSS moved to an online-only journal.

Key statistics:

• In 2024, 4990 institutions had a license to access the journal.
• The top 3 countries downloading EJSS content were: China (21%), United States (12%), UK (6%).
• The top 3 author contributing countries were: China (47), Germany (12), Netherlands (10). • The top 3 author submitting countries were: China (355), India (109), Brazil (29).
• In 2024 867 submissions were received, increasing (33.7%), compared with 2023. This compares with an increase (12.8%) across all Wiley journals in the Earth Sciences subject area.
• The accept rate was 21.1% in 2024, an increase from 18.1% in 2023.
• 2,539 pages were published in 2024 compared to 1,549 in 2023.
• The median time to a first decision on a paper is 50 days.

Soil Use and Management (SUM)

Soil Use and Management publishes novel research in soil science or soil-focused research within agricultural science, environmental science, and policy studies. Manuscripts should present new and significant information and insight on the influence of natural and anthropogenic processes on the function, productivity, health, and sustainability of managed soil systems. This includes the role of soil stewardship in addressing global issues such as mitigation of and adaptation to ongoing climate change, environmental quality, food security, and progress towards achievement of specific sustainable development goals. SUM is published four times each year, with approximately 224 papers published. In 2023, the impact factor was 5.13 a 15% increase on 2022 with a SCImago Journal Rank of 1.013 and h-index 93. Its Editor in Chief is Prof Leo Condron, who is supported by three Deputy Editors and a Social Media Coordinator. The journal was first published in 1985 and from 2022, SUM has moved to an online-only journal.

Key statistics:

• In 2024, 4,958 institutions had a license to access the journal.
• The top 3 countries downloading SUM content were: China (19%), United States (11%), UK (8%)
• The top 3 author contributing countries were: China (72), UK (15), Australia (12).
• The top 3 author submitting countries were: China (214), India (118), Brazil (46).
• In 2024, SUM In 2024 issues, published 85 open access articles, an increase from 35 (142.9%) in 2023.
• In 2024 The total number of submissions in 2024 increased (25.4%) compared with 2023. This compares with an increase (12.8%) across all Wiley journals in the Earth Sciences subject area.
• 2024 saw an increase in the number of pages published totaling 3,385 as compared to 1,615 In 2023.
• The median time to a first decision on a paper is 84 days.

Financial Position

Both journals have seen exponential growth in terms of submissions, impact factor, published papers and subsequent revenue, generating circa £720,000 In 2024 and £562,000 In 2023. This has resulted in growing revenue being shared between Wiley and the Society. Contributions to editorial team costs form Wiley totalled £84,000.00 for 2024 and £85,500.00 for 2025. The Society is currently responsible editorial team honorarium costs and for a license to allow members online access to both journals. The Electronic Access license is charged to the society annually totalling £1, 857.00.

The Brief

We are looking for an organisation to provide comprehensive publishing services to our journals. This will include all aspects of the service currently provided by Wiley:

• Pre-submission services – administrative support to editors and authors
• Full layout support – support from a dedicated team to layout each edition ahead of publication
• Online only journal – an online only journal which can be accessed easily via desktop, phone and tablet for subscribers including BSSS members
• Marketing support – a dedicated team of marketeers to increase the reach of the journals and encourage new and existing authors to publish
• Business Development support – financial and resource support for the BSSS team to explore new markets.
• Printing – an option for members and institutions to purchase print copies of the journal if required
• Finance – full financial management of the journals with annual forecasting and payments to the Society.

In future, the following aspects will be important to the Society and our journals and should be considered when responding to this tender:

• Additional marketing support – developing a close working relationship to provide tailored support to the journals promoting our outcomes
• Flexibility – as the quality of papers received to the journals increases, a process which allows us to publish additional articles quickly, efficiently and without a major impact on the budget
• Plan S and Open Access – developing a way to meet the requirements of the Open Access agenda whilst maintaining the Society’s existing income levels
• A three-year agreement, with the opportunity to extend by an additional two years without the need to re-tender where agreed by both organisations, on either a profit-share or royalties basis, with guaranteed base income each year and contributions to editorial team costs.

Timeline

Our current agreement with Wiley expires in December 2026 with a one-year notice period (December 2025). We are seeking responses to this tender by 29th August 2025. Responses will be reviewed by our Tender review board comprising of the President, Immediate Past President and Publications Committee chair, President Elect, Executive Director and society Fellow, in mid-September after which time, responding organisations may be invited for a formal discussion in October 2025. The Tender Review board will then make a final decision and inform the winning bid by 28th November 2025. We would expect the organisation to work closely with Wiley and the Society during 2026 to ensure a timely and efficient handover of services on 1 January 2027.

Tender

An introductory meeting with the Executive Director, Andrew Morris can be facilitated to support the submission of the tender. The tender response should outline:

• Your organisation and its:
  • experience in the publishing sector, including any journals published in the earth sector
  • strategy for dealing with Plan S and hybrid agreements
• Details of how your organisation will meet the requirements set out in this tender including a proposed 2027 forecast (where proposing a profit-share agreement) and/or expected royalties
• A basic timeline setting out the process for handover of services from Wiley to your organisation
• A primary contact who can be approached for further information or clarification. Please submit any queries and your response to this tender to andrewmorris@soils.org.uk by Friday 29th August 2025.