--- title: De Gruyter Brill, Emerald Publishing, IOP Publishing, Silverchair and Springer Nature partner with Kudos to examine zero-click  and AI search risks to the research ecosystem description: Kudos seeks further sponsors for a fast-track research project to help publishers understand and respond to the threat of zero-click search image: https://blog.growkudos.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-01-14%20at%2012.42.04.png --- [![logo-with-wordmark-black-transparent](https://blog.growkudos.com/hubfs/logo-with-wordmark-black-transparent.svg)](https://www.growkudos.com/)   - Share research ⌄ - [For researchers](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/researchers-2023) - [For publishers](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/publishers) - [For universities](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/universities-2023) - [For pharma](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/medical-pharmaceutical-research-layered-publications-article-extenders) - [SDG Knowledge Cooperative](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/sdg-knowledge-cooperative) - Read research ⌄ - [Kudos Research Showcase](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/) - [Arts & Humanities](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-arts-and-humanities-research) - [Business & Management](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-business-and-management-research) - [Climate Change](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/climate-change) - [COVID and Beyond](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/coronavirus) - [Environmental Sciences](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-environmental-research) - [Life Sciences](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-life-science-research) - [Medical Sciences](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-medical-research) - [Physical Sciences](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-physical-science-research) - [Social Sciences](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-social-science-research) - [Technology & Engineering](https://www.growkudos.com/showcase/collections/summaries-of-technology-and-engineering-research) - Resources ⌄ - [How to guides: getting started with Kudos](https://info.growkudos.com/content-and-resources#how-to) - [News](https://blog.growkudos.com/news) - [Researcher case studies](https://info.growkudos.com/content-and-resources#case_studies) - [Educational webinars](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/kudos-webinars) - [Training materials](https://info.growkudos.com/content-and-resources#training_materials) - [Research projects](https://info.growkudos.com/content-and-resources#kudos_research) - [Publisher case studies](https://info.growkudos.com/content-and-resources#publisher-case-studies) - [About](https://info.growkudos.com/landing/about) - [Log in](https://www.growkudos.com/hub) [![Join Kudos](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5642616/f2a2023e-e6e6-4d0b-bec9-cb73d1281c15.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5642616/f2a2023e-e6e6-4d0b-bec9-cb73d1281c15) [Kudos News](https://blog.growkudos.com/news) # De Gruyter Brill, Emerald Publishing, IOP Publishing, Silverchair and Springer Nature partner with Kudos to examine zero-click  and AI search risks to the research ecosystem January 20 2026 / By **Charlie Rapple** --- ## Further sponsors are invited to join ‘Taming the Crocodile’ study which will help publishers protect usage, revenues and research integrity --- ![Screenshot 2026-01-14 at 12.42.39](https://blog.growkudos.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-01-14%20at%2012.42.39.png?width=177&height=258&name=Screenshot%202026-01-14%20at%2012.42.39.png)Kudos, the platform for showcasing research, is launching a fast-track research project to help publishers understand and respond to the threat of zero-click search (“Google Zero”) and AI overview panels. The company has announced that its launch partners for the initiative are **De Gruyter Brill, Emerald Publishing, IOP Publishing, Silverchair** and **Springer Nature**. The study will explore the implications of zero click search, not only to publisher traffic and business models, but also to research integrity and trust in the scholarly record. It will incorporate a survey of user perceptions and behaviours; desk research and teleinterviews to deliver insights into how organizations within and beyond our sector are tackling the zero-click search threat; and actionable next steps for publishers and platforms, including practical guidance on implementing “Answer-Engine Optimization” (AEO).  The study is codenamed “Taming the Crocodile”, after the phrase “the Crocodile Effect” coined by SaaS marketing expert Tim Soulo to describe the growing gap between content impressions in search engines, and click-throughs to source platforms.  ![Screenshot 2026-01-14 at 12.42.04](https://blog.growkudos.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-01-14%20at%2012.42.04.png?width=2168&height=1470&name=Screenshot%202026-01-14%20at%2012.42.04.png) > “The scholarly sector needs to act quickly to steer the next stages of this seismic shift in how information is discovered and consumed, and how emerging usage behaviours are measured, reported and valued,” says Charlie Rapple, co-founder of Kudos, who will lead the study, “This wide-ranging, fast-track project will provide data and recommendations to support editorial, product, technical and marketing teams in responding to the threat.” Kudos has led a number of research studies in collaboration with publisher sponsors, who benefit from comprehensive findings and expert analysis, at fraction of the cost of conducting such a major piece of research individually. Further sponsors are welcome; interested parties should contact charlie@growkudos.com to learn more about the project scope, deliverables, timelines, and sponsorship options. More information is available by [downloading this information pack](https://3cxvc.share.hsforms.com/2Zkn8u513RXeavugD0GjT0A). — ENDS — Contact: Charlie Rapple [charlie.a.rapple@growkudos.com](mailto:charlie.a.rapple@growkudos.com) About Kudos Kudos (growkudos.com) is the platform for showcasing research, helping more people find, understand and use it. Over 600,000 researchers use Kudos to bring science to life through the power of storytelling. Kudos is the only toolkit designed specifically to drive research communications, engagement and impact, helping researchers cross boundaries, achieve more influence, and gain more recognition. 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