Signals, a research integrity evaluation startup, has raised £880,000 in a seed round from ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society, and Enago, with participation from Scholarly Angels and other angel investors.
Signals develops tools that evaluate research manuscripts and publications to help publishers identify potential integrity risks before publication. As the volume of research increases and concerns around quality, trust, and the impact of artificial intelligence grow, Signals aims to provide transparent and comprehensive analysis that helps publishers assess the reliability of research.
The investment will support development of Signals’ core research integrity products, helping publishers protect their reputations while bringing trustworthy research to their communities without compromising editorial efficiency. Funding will also support scaling the technology, expanding proprietary data, and further investment in its artificial intelligence capabilities.
Signals also plans to expand the use of its Signals Data Graph, a network of research data designed to support publisher decision-making beyond research integrity and help institutions, corporates and researchers identify high-quality research they can build on.
As part of the investment, ACS Publications staff will provide feedback and expertise to inform development of Signals’ research integrity solution, and Sarah Tegen will join the Signals board as an observer. Signals and Enago have also formed a partnership to combine technology and services aimed at supporting publishers with research integrity evaluation.
Protecting the integrity of the scholarly record through better tools is core to the mission of ACS. By investing in Signals, we aim to accelerate uptake of these capabilities while supporting a solution that benefits the entire scholarly community. ACS is excited to help take Signals to the next level.
This partnership reflects our shared commitment to helping publishers navigate growing challenges around research quality and trust. Signals and Enago are coming together to combine technology and human expertise into a stronger, more connected ecosystem for evaluating and supporting high-quality research for the global publishing community.
