How ALPSP is Supporting Growth in the Scholarly Publishing Industry
with Meera Tailor,
Training and Mentorship Coordinator,
The Association Of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP)
Mentorloop Impact Award Winner 2024 & 2025
With Mentorloop, we’ve been able to make more successful matches, track progress effectively, and boost participant engagement, helping us achieve our mission of advancing scholarly communications.
The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) represents not-for-profit organisations in scholarly and professional publishing worldwide. With over 3,000 member organisations and a mission to advance academic communication, ALPSP fosters best practice, training, and representation across a vibrant global network.
One way ALPSP brings this mission to life is through its mentoring programme—a powerful initiative designed to remove barriers, build connections, and support professional growth across the publishing community.
From Feedback to Action
The seeds for the mentoring programme were sown when ALPSP began receiving feedback from members about the lack of opportunities for meaningful networking and knowledge sharing, especially after COVID. Remote work had made it harder for professionals—even within the same organisation—to build relationships.
"We recognised a growing need for structured support and connection. Our members wanted more opportunities to learn and share across organisations and geographies. A formal mentoring programme was the answer.”
Turning Mentoring into a Core Member Benefit
The first iteration of ALPSP’s mentoring scheme in 2022 relied heavily on manual work—spreadsheets, a working group for matches, and significant coordinator time. With Mentorloop, ALPSP has transformed the programme into a scalable, efficient, and inclusive initiative.
Since launch, participation has grown rapidly—from 66 participants in 2022 to 283 in 2025, representing 19 countries and more than 90 organisations. Matches are higher quality, onboarding is smoother, and ALPSP now runs the programme on an always-on model, meaning members can join at any time rather than waiting for yearly intakes.
The impact has been tangible:
- Recruitment & Engagement: Mentoring has become a key driver of new membership applications.
- Global Reach: Participants span multiple continents, connecting professionals who otherwise may never have met.
- Diversity: Both mentors and mentees represent a wide range of experience—from early-career professionals to publishing veterans.
- Impact Stories: Participants report improved confidence, career advancement, and new opportunities.
Why Mentorloop is Their Top Choice
For Meera, the difference is clear:
"Before Mentorloop, we spent days trying to match people manually in spreadsheets. Now the algorithm ensures meaningful matches, while tools like group loops, goal setting, and integrated feedback make the programme more engaging and impactful.”
The platform also allows ALPSP to track diversity, engagement, and impact—turning anecdotal success stories into measurable outcomes that can be shared with members, leadership, and funders.
What’s Next for ALPSP
Looking ahead, ALPSP aims to deepen mentoring’s role in scholarly publishing. Plans include:
- Expanding participation among underrepresented groups
- Leveraging group mentoring and peer-to-peer networking
- Embedding mentoring into member organisations’ onboarding processes
- Using stories and data to inspire more engagement across the industry
“Mentoring has become a cornerstone of our member benefits,” says Meera. “It’s not just about professional growth—it’s about building a stronger, more connected, and more inclusive publishing community.”
Meera Tailor
Training and Mentorship Coordinator, ALPSP
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Through our mentorship programme, we're gaining new members and also raising engagement with our current members. And it's actually cited as one of the primary reasons that many members join our association.
– Meera Tailor, Training and Mentorship Coordinator, ALPSP
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