More than a dozen international scientific publishing groups, including the publications division of the American Chemical Society, have announced the suspension of sales and marketing of products and services to research organizations in Russia and Belarus.

Participating companies include publishers of academic and scientific publications for many U.S. and international associations, such as Netherlands-based Elsevier.

In a joint letter released March 31, the publishers said: "We the undersigned jointly condemn the war in Ukraine and call for a stop to any more senseless loss of life. We are shocked and saddened by the humanitarian crisis.

"We have taken the unprecedented step of suspending sales and marketing of products and services to research organisations in Russia and Belarus. We join other organisations globally that are acting to bring about an end to this aggression and to restore peace.

"As individual organisations, we are working to aid affected colleagues and contractors, while contributing to broader relief efforts that are providing safety and support for those in peril including Ukrainian researchers."

However, the letter indicated that papers submitted by Russian and Belorussian researchers would still be accepted.

"We remain committed to the ideals of science and scholarship as a global community. Our actions are not targeted at Russian researchers, but rather at research organisations in Russia and Belarus. This is why we continue to publish and distribute manuscripts from authors in these countries in the independent way set out in the (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines for research which states: ‘Editorial decisions should not be affected by the origins of the manuscript, including the nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race or religion of the authors.'

"Given the rapidly changing situation we will continue to evaluate our positions on an ongoing basis," the letter states.

In a statement, ACS Publications said, "While (we believe) that the free flow of communications about research and collaboration has no borders or boundaries, (we) has decided to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

ACS Publications said it will no longer accept Russian payments for open access articles in any of its more than 75 journals. The group will continue to provide free access to ACS journals to Ukrainian researchers for the rest of the year via Research4Life, a platform and website that makes peer-reviewed knowledge available to students and researchers in lower income countries. Also, ACS has waived dues for members in Ukraine and has sought their advice on other ways to support those impacted by the war.

Other signatories of the letter include Apple Academic Press, Brill, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Emerald Publishing, the Geological Society of London, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and Wolters Kluwer.

ACS has more than a dozen members in Ukraine and more than 100 in Russia out of 151,000 worldwide. Earlier in March, Susan Morrissey, ACS' vice president of communications, told CEO Update that no members have been suspended based on location.

"At present, ACS has not made any changes to its submission or editorial standards across its portfolio of journals," she added. "We will continue to carefully assess our operations and editorial policies to ensure they align with U.S. and international sanctions levied against Russia."