Academic Publishing – May 2022
Standardised diversity questions proposed
The Joint Commitment for Action on Inclusion and Diversity in Publishing, a group of 52 publishers led by the Royal Society of Chemistry, has published guidance for the collection of author data in the fields of gender identity, race, and ethnicity. The aim is to improve understanding of the demographic diversity of authors, editorial decision makers, and reviewers, so that actions and goals can be put in place and progress then measured. The group encourages the industry to adopt its proposed standardised questions so that comparable datasets can be created across publishers and journals, to help set baselines and establish where action is most needed.
Meanwhile, the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) and the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) are collaborating on a position reference directory for scholarly publishing. Industry professionals are requested to submit position descriptions to the task force working on the project, so that the aggregated data can be used to detail the typical skills required for each position.
New reports from Oxford, Cambridge, and Open Library of the Humanities
Oxford University Press has launched its first Responsible Publishing Report, bringing together in a single document the steps it is taking to operate responsibly as an organisation. The report collates information in areas including sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and support given to charities and other initiatives.
Cambridge University Press and Assessment has published its first UN Global Compact communication on progress (PDF) towards sustainability as a joint organisation, covering areas such as human rights, anti-corruption, and the environment, and setting out its continuing support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The Open Library of the Humanities has issued its annual report for 2021, a year which saw the publisher merge with Birkbeck, University of London, reopen applications to flip journals to open access, receive a grant from Arcadia, and migrate its journals to its own Janeway platform.
BAR wins IPG Award
This year’s Independent Publishing Awards saw the PLS Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year award go to Oxford-based independent archaeological publisher BAR Publishing, two years shy of its fiftieth anniversary.
Emerald partners with Knowledge Unlatched
Emerald Publishing has announced a partnership with Knowledge Unlatched that will see the organisations create and promote an open access ebook collection in the field of business management and economics from 2023. All titles will relate to three UN Sustainable Development Goals, covering topics such as diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace, and ending forced labour.
New milestone for UCL Press
UCL Press has reached another milestone, hitting its six millionth download just eight months after reaching five million. The press has published more than 240 academic titles in the seven years since its launch in 2015.
Routledge launches Open Research
First announced at the end of last year, the Routledge Open Research platform has now launched. Using technology from F1000, the platform will enable researchers across the arts, humanities, and social sciences to disseminate a range of outputs for post-publication open peer review.
Liverpool takes on long-running journal
Liverpool University Press is partnering with the Instituto International de Literatura Iberoamericana (IILI) to publish the journal Revista Iberoamericana from next year. The journal, focusing on Latin American literature, has been published without interruption since the foundation of the IILI in 1938.
Alastair Horne is a lecturer in publishing studies at the University of Stirling.