Hear about advances in peer review and options for publishing!

May 15, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Geisel Library Dunst Classroom. 

Image Credit: Flickr User AJC1
Creative Commons License: BY-SA

A New Model for OA: Radically Accessible and Transparent 

What exactly does the “access” mean in OA? Some university presses have begun to publish works open access, but this often means that either the authors or their institution have to come up with large subventions to make this possible. We will discuss the benefits of OA broadly but also platinum OA in particular, which is the version that is neither market dependent nor contingent upon subventions.

Along with it’s benefits, OA has many challenges, one of which is a reputation problem. Presses are dealing with this is through rigorous peer review. But when we say something is peer reviewed, what exactly do we mean? Scholarly publishers of all kinds (OA and traditional, commercial and non-profit) claim that their uniqueness pivots on the process of peer review; however, when we ask individual presses what form that process takes, the answers vary. In this talk, we will discuss the work that is being sponsored by Lever and MIT on a signaling system for peer review transparency. We will also discuss the unique challenge that DH projects pose in the peer review process.

Speaker Bio:

Beth Bouloukos acquires broadly in the humanities and social sciences for the open access and digitally native Amherst College and Lever Presses. She previously acquired books in education, Latin American/Latinx studies, and gender and sexuality studies at SUNY Press for seven years. Beth received her PhD from Cornell University where she researched Latin American literature, film, and culture through a feminist lens.  She has also served as a visiting assistant professor at Fairfield University and the University at Albany, SUNY.