Scientific ideas, especially the truly innovative ones, are like seeds — they need fertile ground and tender care in order to grow to their true potential. Seeds of Science (ISSN: 2768-1254) is a journal dedicated to nurturing promising ideas and helping them blossom into scientific innovation. Peer review is conducted through voting and commenting by our diverse network of reviewers, or “Gardeners” as we call them (free to join, see below).
We publish our articles in two formats: as a PDF at TheSeedsofScience.org and here on our Substack. Although a “Seed of Science” may be different than a typical scientific paper, all articles receive DOIs and are searchable in major academic databases.
What is a “Seed of Science”?
It is a speculation, an idea for an experiment, a novel observation, a thought-provoking question and discussion, the highlighting of an under-appreciated problem, or an unorthodox research study. Like a real seed, a “Seed of Science” is small and carefully crafted. A good Seed includes some kind of justification for how the ideas could advance science (e.g. an argument, proposed experiment, or preliminary data analysis) and provides as much evidence and rationale as possible. Besides that, there are virtually no requirements on content or style — Seeds can be from any scientific discipline (including metascience and science ethics) and can be written in non-traditional formats (e.g. narratives, dialogues, etc.).
Learn more about our publication criteria and submission process on the “Publishing with SoS” page.
Interesting in publishing with SoS? Reach out to us at info@theseedsofscience.org and pitch your article.
Why publish with Seeds of Science?
Receive constructive feedback on your ideas through our community-based review process. Reviewer comments that illuminate and extend your ideas in a useful manner will be published after the main text of your article.
Publish your article as a PDF (assigned a DOI, searchable in major academic databases) and as Substack article (website text/email newsletter). With these two formats, your manuscript will be officially registered in the scholarly literature and be shared in a more accessible format that will expose your work to a wider audience (authors may include a biography and links to their websites/blogs). Note: we do not require authors to take down articles from personal websites/blogs once they have been published with us.
Receive payment of $25 per article. Alternatively, we can donate the payment to a charity of your choosing.
Participate in a project that aims to disrupt the scientific publishing industry and promote greater creativity and diversity of thought in science.
Why should I Become a Gardener?
1) I would like to participate in a scientific review process by voting and commenting on submitted manuscripts (manuscripts are distributed through email along with a simple review form). Voting/commenting is 100% voluntary — “gardening” requires no upfront commitment as you may abstain from participating in any review without notification.
2) I would like to have my comments included in published articles, thereby providing a permanent record of my contributions to the scientific community.
3) I am interested in editing articles for SoS and receiving payment for doing so (learn more about the procedure for proposing and editing articles here)
A list of current gardeners can be found on our website.
How do I become a Gardener?
Fill out this form (name, email, and information for your listing on our website).
The only requirement is some proof of scientific credentials or activity (an academic profile, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Linkedin, a personal website, or blog is acceptable).
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