As the scholarly community gathers to celebrate Open Access Week 2024, Edinburgh University Press proudly aligns with this year’s theme, ‘Community over Commercialisation’, showcasing our dedication to promoting accessible knowledge that prioritises academic and public interest over profitability.
Our OA initiatives and policies are designed to foster wide dissemination of scholarly work in the Humanities. Below, we explore several transformative OA initiatives at EUP that exemplify our commitment to OA.
Empowering Humanities through the Edinburgh University Press Open Access Fund
The Edinburgh University Press Open Access Fund initiative underscores EUP’s commitment to nurturing open scholarship within book publishing. Launched in 2023, the initiative aims to publish 50 OA monographs by 2027, vastly increasing the visibility and impact of humanities research emanating from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. This initiative not only boosts academic dissemination but also supports the creation of globally accessible knowledge that can shape societal progress.
Find out more about the Edinburgh University Press Open Access Fund.
Expanding Access with Subscribe to Open (S2O)
Subscribe to Open (S2O) makes academic journals accessible without the need for Article Processing Charges (APC). After the successful flipping of the 2024 volume of Afghanistan and the Journal of Holy Land & Palestine Studies, EUP’s S2O initiative, launched as a pilot in 2024, is set to expand to include seven additional journals in 2025. This approach ensures more researchers can disseminate their work freely and supports the sustainable growth of OA in the humanities.
Seven journals joining EUP’s S2O initiative in 2025:
Corpora
Film-Philosophy
Gothic Studies
Journal of British Cinema and Television
Journal of Qur’anic Studies
Modernist Cultures
Word Structure
Find out more about S2O at EUP.
Navigating OA: EUP’s Open Access Hub
For those new to OA, or just needing a refresher, the EUP OA Hub provides a robust platform filled with resources that demystify the complexities of OA publishing. The Hub delivers essential, easy-to-understand information about the benefits of OA, funding sources, and the publishing process itself. This indispensable tool aims to empower authors with the knowledge to navigate the OA landscape effectively and with confidence.
Publishing OA with EUP
EUP’s own OA policies are designed to cater to the diverse needs of the academic community, providing flexible pathways to increase the reach and influence of research. Authors may choose from Gold OA – making their work immediately available upon publication – or Green OA, which allows for the archival manuscripts in institutional repositories after an embargo period. These options ensure researchers have substantial control over the dissemination of their work, paving the way for greater academic collaboration and dialogue.
Discover two diamond OA series from EUP – Visionaries: The Work of Women Filmmakers and Edinburgh Studies in Urban Political Economy.
Looking ahead
As we continue to support and develop our OA initiatives, EUP aims to encourage a publishing environment that prioritises community interests and open collaboration. By expanding accessibility across our journals and monographs, we hope to play a part in developing a scholarly ecosystem where knowledge freely crosses borders and barriers. This OA Week invites us all to reflect on and advocate for practices that sustain the shared global pursuit of knowledge, aiming for an inclusive impact on society.
Images, with thanks, from openaccessweek.org. Grid image credit – Row 1: Wardha Bokhari, laimagendelmundo, Pwani University Library; Row 2: Lazarus Matizirofa, laimagendelmundo, FDR Presidential Library & Museum; Row 3: Slobodan Radicev, Cancillería Ecuador, Samuel McDermott, Richard Bowman, Kerrianne Harrington and William Wadswort. Locks and Design by Kim Henze. Header image photo by Austin Kehmeier. Design by Kim Henze.
