Social Science & Humanities Publishing - Market Research, Industry Trends, Market Share


Published: 03/01/2021
Pages: 77
Full Study Price: US$ 2,750

Simba Information’s report Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2021-2025 provides a comprehensive overview of the global social science and humanities (SSH) publishing markets, which encompass a variety of media formats such as books, journals, online content, abstracting & indexing services, and other activities.

Social science and humanities publishing includes a broad range of popular subject areas from anthropology and economics to history, philosophy, and literature, but this publishing segment continues to face ongoing market challenges — with falling sales and fewer published titles in 2020. However, a few bright spots in the market remain as we look ahead to 2025.

Here are a few key insights from the report:

  • Social science and humanities publishing sales fell an estimated 1.5% in 2020 after posting flat results in 2019.
  • COVID-19 led social science and humanities book publishers to drastically reduce their production over the course of 2020 compared to recent years.
  • The number of titles published in these fields fell 10.9% in 2019 and then plummeted by 51.8% in 2020.
  • Publishers are being more selective due to the continuing trend of declining sales, particularly in print.
  • Although SSH books and journals are expected to face declines, online content will grow 3.4% annually from 2021 to 2025.

As the economy emerges from COVID-19, social science and humanities publishers will face a complex market full of disruptive threats. Get the intelligence you need to compete and win in this industry with Simba Information’s essential new report.

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Table Of Contents

  • Methodology
    • Definition of Social Science & Humanities Publishing
      • Social Science
      • Humanities
    • Definition of Social Science & Humanities Publishing by Media
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online Content
      • Abstracting & Indexing Services
      • Other Activities
      • Elimination
    • Scope of the Report
    • Sources of Information
      • Primary & Secondary Research
      • Methodology for Projecting/Estimating Results
  • Executive Summary
    • Introduction
    • What Are the Social Sciences & Humanities?
    • Key Facts & Trends
      • Research Funding in SSH Continues to Dwindle
      • There Is No Dominant Player
      • English Does Not Dominate in SSH, Though It Is Gaining
      • Journals Projected to Overtake Books as Largest SSH Publishing Activity in 2025
      • Journals Represent 37% of the Market
      • Big Deal Journal Packages Are Being Exchanged for Transformational Agreements
  • Social Science & Humanities Publishing Market
    • Introduction
      • Table Economist, IMF and Freedonia Group World GDP Snapshot, 2019-2021
    • Market Size
      • Books
        • Table Social Science & Humanities Publishing Market by Publishing Activity, 2018-2020
      • Journals
      • Online Content
      • Abstracting & Indexing (A&I) Services
      • Other Activities
      • Elimination
    • Social Science & Humanities Publishing by Geography
      • Language Splits & Major Publishing Hubs
      • Language Also Varies by Publishing Media
      • Currency
      • North America
      • Europe
        • Table Currency Exchange Rate Movements for Europe, 2018-2020
      • Asia-Pacific
        • Table Currency Exchange Rate Movements for Asia-Pacific, 2018-2020
      • Rest of the World
        • Table Currency Exchange Rate Movements for Rest of World, 2019-2020
  • Leading Social Science & Humanities Publishers
    • Introduction
    • Leading Social Science & Humanities Publishers
      • Table Leading Social Science & Humanities Publishers' Revenue, 2018-2020
    • Informa
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • Elsevier
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • Springer Nature
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • ProQuest
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • EBSCO Publishing
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • SAGE Publications Inc.
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
        • Table Leading Social Science Journal Publishers by 2019 Titles
      • Publishing Strategy
    • John Wiley & Sons
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • Cengage Research
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • Oxford University Press
      • Company Overview
        • Table Leading Book Publisher by Title Output 2020 in Philosophy & Music
      • Recent Company Performance
      • Publishing Strategy
    • Cambridge University Press
      • Company Overview
      • Recent Company Performance
        • Table Cambridge University Press Strongest SSH Subjects by Title Count, 2020
      • Publishing Strategy
    • Other Leading Social Science Publishers
      • Books
      • Journals and Online Content
      • University Presses
        • Table Leading University Presses by Revenue, 2019-2020
    • Mergers & Acquisitions in the SSH Publishing Market
      • Table Mergers & Acquisitions in SSH Publishing, 2018
      • Table Mergers & Acquisitions in SSH Publishing, 2019
      • Table Mergers & Acquisitions in SSH Publishing, 2020
  • Trends & Forecast
    • Introduction
    • Current Trends in Social Science & Humanities Publishing
      • SH Research Funding Is a Fraction of STM, Continues to Be Threatened
      • COVID-19 Cut SSH Book Output by Half
      • Open Access Books Are Building a Niche in SSH Publishing
        • Table Leading OA Book Publishers Ranked by Number of Titles, 2020
      • New SSH Journal Launches Continue to Decline
      • Big Deal Journal Packages Are Being Exchanged for Transformational Agreements
        • Table Largest Transformative Agreements by Number of Publications Covered
      • Open Access Presents Challenges in SSH
      • The Changing Face of International SSH Publishing
      • Social Science & Humanities Disciplines Are Dynamic, Evolving
      • Social Science Researchers Face Obstacles Using Big Data & Other Quantitative Methods
      • Weaknesses in Peer Review Undermine Credibility of SSH Research
      • Publishing Success Rests on Discoverability
    • Market Forecast
      • Introduction
        • Table Social Science & Humanities Publishing Forecast by Publishing Activity, 2021P-2025P
      • Books Forecast
      • Journals Forecast
      • Online Content Forecast
      • Abstracting & Indexing Services Forecast
      • Other Activities Forecast
      • Elimination Forecast
      • Forecast of Leading Publishers
        • Table Leading SSH Publishers' Revenue Forecast, 2020-2021P