Welcome. At STEM Knowledge Partners, we provide flexible, insightful and pragmatic consulting services tailored to the scholarly publishing and research communities.

Whether you’re a commercial or non-profit publisher, society, research funder, or a stakeholder in the wider scholarly communication ecosystem, we can help you navigate strategic challenges, identify opportunities, and deliver impactful results.

How we can help

  • From journals and books to digital products and new content types, we support new launches, business and product development, portfolio growth and quality, and innovation strategies designed to meet evolving researcher and market needs.

  • We provide qualitative and quantitative insights that drive informed decisions — whether it's market research, competitive analysis, society partnerships and publishing proposals, or a comprehensive business planning. We also offer business development support, including publisher outreach, sales calls, and partnership negotiations.

  • We help optimize your editorial and production workflows, while aligning them with industry best practices in research integrity, ethics, and transparency.

  • Need help preparing a team or covering a key role? We offer tailored workshops, webinars, and interim support — stepping in seamlessly with short-term full-time or part-time coverage to ensure continuity and excellence.

Why Choose STEM-KP?

Versatile Expertise

Deep expertise across all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and Social Sciences & Humanities (SSH) within scholarly communication.

STEM-KP combines specialized knowledge with industry insight, ensuring effective solutions tailored to your needs.

Comprehensive Services

We offer a distinctive range of consulting services, including editorial strategy and engagement, product and portfolio development, business model design, society and partner publishing management, open access and open science initiatives, research integrity and ethics support, streamlined editorial and production workflows, as well as targeted business development, including publisher outreach, sales strategy, and deal negotiation.

Personalized Approach

Friendly, clear, helpful collaboration.

We prioritize supportive and transparent working relationship, customizing each project to reflect your priorities, objectives, and organizational culture.

Results-Oriented

Measurable outcomes aligned to your specific strategic goals.

We are dedicated to providing practical, actionable solutions that produce clear and impactful results for your organization.

  • “never anything but supportive, creative, intelligent and empowering"; " a valued mentor, coach, group leader and collaborator"; "possesses powerfully deep analytical abilities"; "well-honed financial and administrative skill sets"; "a smart and excellent manager"; "possesses a highly effective and uncommon combination of traits"; "Steve's greatest strength is his strategic capability"; "a consummate professional ".

    From Reviews

  • I am grateful to Dr. Smith for all his work supporting Psychological Service in both my years as an Associate Editor and now as Incoming Editor. He has been a constant advisor, collaborator in building productive strategic partnerships, and colleague working to deliver results above expectations. His leadership and support across our editorial team and with others at APA have led to positive and sustained outcomes in terms of commissioning, submissions, enhanced quality, support of innovation in publishing and financial outcomes, even in times of ongoing change. I count it an honor and privilege to have worked with Dr. Smith over the years and am grateful for all his expertise in guiding and supporting our journal and division across time!

    Lisa K. Kearney, PhD., ABPP

  • Steve is a strategic thinker who possesses a firm and full grasp of the publishing fundamentals of both books and journals. In addition, he is experienced in open access publishing. He is highly effective and I would recommend him for any position requiring broad experience, effective organization and strong people skills.

    Shawn Morton, VP, Partner Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  • Steve is never anything but supportive, creative, intelligent and empowering. He has an excellent track record of building relationships and fostering positive and productive teams infused with a deep sense of mission. Steve has outstanding communication skills, and served as a valued mentor, coach, group leader and collaborator. He promoted a strong community with deeply held values which sustained us in our mission, whether in good times or when we faced uncertainty or times of change. I have no hesitation in strongly recommending Steve.

    Andrew Peart, Founder & CEO at Sequoia Books

Current engagement

Product Development & Platform Strategy. Product strategy for a new content delivery platform for research and AI/ML use cases — including discovery research, competitive landscape review, metadata quality and standards, pricing/packaging design, and early-adopter pilot planning.

Advisor. Advising an early-stage AI/authoring venture on product assumptions, trust and provenance signals, and publisher adoption pathways.

Recent Publications and Volunteer Work

Moderator. “Next Generation Journal Communities.” CSE Webinar, February 2025

Moderator. “CSE Goes to Washington: Publishing Policy in the Wake of the US Election.” CSE Webinar, January 2025.

  • Independent Consultant

    Steve Smith, DPhil, is an independent consultant with over 25 years of experience in scholarly publishing, including senior roles at Blackwell Publishers, John Wiley & Sons, Frontiers Media, and AIP Publishing.

    Steve specializes in developing impactful publishing products and portfolios, launching successful projects, and fostering partnerships across diverse academic and commercial environments. With professional roots in Canada, the UK, and the US, he brings an international perspective to every engagement. Known for his calm, clear, and collaborative approach, Steve is committed to integrity, transparency, and sustainable innovation in scholarly communication.

    Please get in touch—he's always happy to explore ideas or discuss potential projects.