By Chantal Ripp, with editorial support by Olivia Aguiar
The 90th annual ACFAS conference was held at the Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal, and Polytechnique Montréal from May 8 to May 12, 2023. Over the years, the ACFAS Congress has become the largest multidisciplinary gathering of Francophone scholars, attracting participants from around the world.
Under the theme “100 years of knowledge for a sustainable world,” this edition offered a rich scientific program to highlight the place of research and knowledge in our societies, and their contributions to the common good.
Seven lab members—Juan Pablo, Rémi Toupin, Anton Ninkov, Chantal Ripp, Leigh-Ann Butler, Marc-André Simard, and Stefanie Haustein—attended or presented sessions at the “Perspectives sur la publication et les revues savantes : évolution du libre accès, des pratiques d’évaluation et des nouvelles possibilités de recherche (Perspectives on publishing and scholarly journals: Evolution of Open Access, review practices and new research opportunities)” colloquium.
Leigh-Ann Butler (left) and Stefanie Haustein (right) co-present on “New models, same problems: How the big five publishers’ open access business models perpetuate inequalities in scholarly communication” at ACFAS 2023 | Photo by Chantal Ripp 
Marc-André Simard presents on “International comparison of open access journals and their use of article processing fees” at ACFAS 2023 | Photo by Chantal Ripp. 
Juan Pablo Alperin presents on “Publication incentives in Latin America” at ACFAS 2023 | Photo by Chantal Ripp
The two-day colloquium explored the evolution of scholarly publishing, new opportunities offered by digital research infrastructures, as well as challenges and opportunities faced by Quebec and Canadian journals as they transition to open access. The participation of many lab members at the conference reflects the lab’s promotion and dissemination of scholarly communication research in French and English.
In addition to the captivating sessions at ACFAS, members of the lab were also excited to (re)connect in-person and chat over dinner. “Having a virtual space to collaborate with colleagues is great, but getting the opportunity to spend time in person is worthwhile, especially as so many of the lab members are spread across Canada. As a new PhD student, it’s a great way to feel that sense of camaraderie,” says Chantal Ripp. “It was my first ACFAS event and I am looking forward to attending again!”
For more on the conference, check out the conference website and program. The University of Ottawa will host the 91st annual ACFAS conference in 2024.