Delta Think Inc.

Delta Think Inc. is a consulting firm that positions itself as a trusted advisor to the scholarly community, helping publishers, societies, and research organizations navigate a rapidly changing landscape. According to its own materials, the firm was founded in 2005 and has since built a practice centered on data-driven, evidence-based analysis and strategy development. Its stated mission is to help organizations benefit from change by questioning underlying beliefs, validating market assumptions, and seeking different perspectives — a positioning captured in its tagline "Embrace Change. Unlock Your Potential." The firm's service portfolio spans two broad areas. The first is customer and market intelligence, which includes AI research and market insights, competitive benchmarking, ethnographic research, focus groups, in-depth interviews, market assessment and sizing, market and customer surveys, and stakeholder advisory boards and forums. The second is business and product strategy, covering AI licensing, partnerships and products, business model and pricing frameworks, and customized business assessments. This combination reflects Delta Think's focus on the scholarly publishing ecosystem, where questions of open access, article processing charges (APCs), licensing, and new AI-related business models are central. Delta Think is particularly known for its recurring analysis of article processing charges in the scholarly journal market. Its annual APC analysis tracks average prices across disciplines and access types, and its "News & Views" commentary explains the nuances behind those averages — for example, why two journals with similar APCs can generate very different revenue, and how pricing varies substantially even within a single discipline such as physics. This work draws on sources including OpenAlex, The Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers, ANZSRC, and publishers' websites. The company markets itself as "insatiably curious" and "deeply knowledgeable," emphasizing a collaborative approach in which it works alongside clients to chart a path forward. Its website highlights metrics such as clients to date, client re-engagement percentage, projects to date, and stakeholder interactions, though the specific figures are not fully legible in the available evidence. Delta Think operates primarily in the United States but serves a global scholarly publishing market. It is a private business enterprise and remains active.

Delta Think Inc. was founded in 2005, according to the company's own account of its history. From its earliest days, the firm says it recognized a need for forward-thinking strategies and transformative change, and it set out to establish itself as a trusted advisor helping organizations adapt and thrive in rapidly changing business environments. Over the years it built a team described as industry experts and developed a practice focused on the scholarly publishing and research information sector. The company's evolution reflects broader shifts in scholarly communication. As open access publishing expanded, article processing charges became a central economic mechanism in the journal market, and Delta Think developed recurring analyses of APC pricing across disciplines and access types. Its annual APC analysis became a recognizable part of its public output, complemented by "News & Views" commentary that interprets market data for publishers, societies, and other stakeholders. The firm also expanded into adjacent areas such as AI research and market insights, AI licensing and partnerships, and business model and pricing frameworks, responding to the growing influence of artificial intelligence on publishing and research workflows. By the 2020s, Delta Think presented itself as a consultancy serving the scholarly community globally, with a mission centered on evidence-based analysis, market validation, and collaborative strategy development. Its website highlights cumulative engagement metrics — clients to date, client re-engagement percentage, projects to date, and stakeholder interactions — as evidence of its track record, though the precise figures are not fully legible in available sources. The firm remains privately held and active, with no public listing. Its leadership and staff include analysts such as Dan Pollock and Heather Staines, who author its public market analyses.

• 2026

  Delta Think publishes a News & Views analysis on why APC averages obscure variation across and within disciplines.

• 2005

  Delta Think is founded, beginning its work as an advisor to organizations navigating changing business environments.

A trusted advisor to the scholarly community, offering data-driven, evidence-based strategy and market intelligence consulting under the banner "Embrace Change. Unlock Your Potential."

• Customer & Market Intelligence

  Deep customer insights, data analytics, and market intelligence services including AI research and market insights, competitive benchmarking, ethnographic research, focus groups, in-depth interviews, market assessment and sizing, market and customer surveys, and stakeholder advisory boards and forums.

• Business & Product Strategy

  Forward-thinking consulting services including AI licensing, partnerships and products, business model and pricing frameworks, and customized business assessments.

• Annual APC Analysis

  Recurring analysis of article processing charges in the scholarly journal market, tracking average prices by discipline and access type and drawing on sources such as OpenAlex, The Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers, ANZSRC, and publishers' websites.

1. 1Delta Thinkdeltathink.com
2. 2About | Delta Thinkdeltathink.com
3. 3Services | Delta Thinkdeltathink.com
4. 4News & Views: Your Mileage May Vary – Why APC Averages Don't Tell the Whole Storydeltathink.com
5. 5Delta Think Inc. – Wikidatawikidata.org