As a non-commercial university press, we are committed to Open Access. This year has seen exciting new developments in areas of our OA content and 2021 will see the introduction of two new OA journals. To celebrate Open Access Week 2020, we’d like to shine a light on our OA content that aims to make knowledge more open and accessible.

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In 2014 we launched Modern Languages Open (MLO), a peer-reviewed online platform for the Open Access publication of research from across the modern languages to a global audience.

MLO’s recent  Special Collection, ‘Critical Digital Pedagogies in Modern Languages – a Tutorial Collection,’ edited by Paul Spence (King’s College London) and Renata Brandao (King’s College London), provided a collection of online tutorials, exploring the theories and applications of digital methods and tools for use in teaching, learning and research in Modern Languages.

LUP’s commitment to publishing in multiple languages sees two of the tutorials being made available in translation; bringing an excellent pedagogical resource to a wider audience, they are especially timely as teachers find themselves having to adapt to teaching online.

We asked Renata Brando to tell us about the significance of the translations to the collection, Renata had the following response:

More than 300 languages are spoken in London alone. By training or nature, we are multilingual. Our research should not, therefore, be limited linguistically. At Language Acts and Worldmaking we understand language as a cultural, material and historical force through which individuals construct their voices, identities and spaces (Language Acts and Worldmaking). As such, the act of translating plays an important role in building relationships, disseminating ideas and sharing knowledge across the world –leading to the appreciation and promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity, both socially and globally.

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the complexities of multilingualism in research, but particularly in digital practise. Digital environments have generally been recognised as having a ‘language and geo-cultural diversity’ problem (Disrupting Digital Monolingualism). However, Digital Humanities are not the only ones to have monolingual assumptions. For example, around 4 out of 5 of all Scopus indexed journals are published in English. In a study conducted by the University of Oxford in 2014, it was found that English is now growing in non-English speaking countries and is becoming the primary language of research and education.

The purpose of the Digital Modern Languages tutorial collection was to offer a set of open educational resources  that explain how to make use of digital resources for those interested in Modern Languages. Something that can be used, evolved and adapted. Therefore, we have always seen the translation of the tutorials as an important part of their evolution. Yes, we understand that English is undeniably predominant, but it does not mean that those who don’t speak it can be ignored! Translation is indispensable. It knocks down obstacles and builds bridges.

To download a translation, please use the download button located to the right side of the article webpage for Recogito-in-a-Box: From Annotation to Digital Edition by Gimena del Rio Riande and Valeria Vitale, and The Online Presence of Italian Antimafia Associations by Gioia Panzarella.

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Next year will see the addition of two further OA journals, both strive to provide an open resource to support learning and teaching.

The International Journal of English for Academic Purposes: Research and Practice is a peer-reviewed platform for the Open Access publication of research and practice in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teaching and learning. It is an international journal with a global editorial board of experts. The journal will be published in partnership with the Asia Pacific EAP Association, China EAP Association, BALEAP and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China. The first issue will be published in March 2021.

The focus of the journal is to investigate principles and practices in English-language learning and teaching for academic purposes within tertiary education, including teaching pedagogy, information technology, and teacher development.

Developing Academic Practice, an Open Access online publication, aims to celebrate scholarship in all aspects of academic practice in Higher Education, whilst providing an open platform to share innovations in the support of learning and teaching, through an open, creative and collaborative publication. Published in partnership with The Academy at the University of Liverpool, DAP will launch in early 2021. 

To receive updates about our new OA journals, please subscribe to our newsletter.

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In partnership with the Open Library of the Humanities, both Francosphères and Quaker Studies continue to be fully open access journals with all content freely available. With no Article Processing Charge for authors, all articles from 2018 for Quaker Studies, and 2019 onwards for Francosphères, are published under a CC-BY license.

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Supporting Early Career Researchers in Publishing Open Access

LUP’s Open Access Author Fund was created to support OA publications by early career researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Our authors can donate all or part of their royalties to the Fund, and LUP will match all contributions. The fund aims to help early career scholars overcome barriers to publish their work Open Access, as OA becomes increasingly important for researchers, research funders, and readers.

If you would like to find out more about how to publish your Open Access book with us, our Editorial Director Alison Welsby has written some helpful information on this topic.

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Open Educational Resources

As well as publishing Open Access academic books on important topics such as representations of disability in contemporary fiction and the public memory of transatlantic slavery, LUP also work to produce Open Access teaching resources and e-textbooks which offer additional accessible content to students. These Open Educational Resources include e-textbooks, additional sources, activity sheets, and more.

Essentials of Financial Management is an Open Access e-textbook which provides finance, management, and business students with an accessible guide containing real-world examples and additional activity sheets. Essentials of Financial Management is available as a pdf on our website, and also in print format.

Using Primary Sources is a unique and easy to access e-textbook which provides students with the opportunity to examine rare and original material in detail on their computer, tablet or phone as well as learn how they can integrate the source material in their own written work. Using Primary Sources is available on our Digital Collaboration Hub and will also be published as a print book in early 2021.

For more information on our Open Access content and policies, visit the Liverpool University Press website.

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