Journals, Modern Languages, News, open access

Liverpool University Press Launches LUP Open Languages: A New Subscribe to Open Initiative

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Promotional graphic for Liverpool University Press Open Languages ‘Subscribe to Open’ initiative. The left side shows the Liverpool University Press logo with the text ‘LUP Open Languages, Subscribe to Open, Archival Access from 1923’ alongside the open access symbol. The right side displays journal covers including French Studies, Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, Contemporary French Civilization, Revista Iberoamericana, and European Journal of Language Policy.

Liverpool University Press (LUP) is pleased to announce the launch of LUP Open Languages, a new Subscribe to Open (S2O) initiative designed to make high-quality research in languages, literatures and cultures openly accessible to all.

With the support of subscribing institutions, LUP Open Languages seeks to ensure that the latest scholarship is freely available worldwide, making access to leading research more equitable. At the same time, subscribers benefit from exclusive online access to the rich archives of the journals included in the initiative — some extending back over a century — offering an unparalleled resource for historical research and teaching.

The package brings together thirteen internationally recognised, peer-reviewed journals spanning Catalan, French, Hispanic, Latin American, Québec, and Romanian studies, as well as language policy. Several of these journals are published in partnership with leading scholarly organisations, including the American Council for Québec Studies; the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (University of London); Instituto Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana (IILI); the North American Catalan Society; the Society for French Studies; and the Society for Romanian Studies.

Emma Burridge, Journals Publishing Manager and EDIB Lead at LUP, said:
‘After the success of our S2O programme for LUP’s planning journals, I’m excited that we’re now offering a similar initiative for our modern languages journals. With the support of librarians and their annual subscriptions, we hope to ‘open up’ the latest research in languages and cultures for even more readers, as part of a more equitable and sustainable publishing model’.

What is Subscribe to Open?
Infographic titled ‘How Subscribe to Open Works’. Step 1: An open book icon with text ‘Libraries renew their subscription to the journals’. Step 2: A shield with a checkmark icon and text ‘They will then receive immediate access to all content for the journals and will be supporting the move towards Open Access too’. Step 3: A filing cabinet icon with text ‘With exclusive gated access to the archives of the journals — including content dating back to 1923’. Final step: A box with text ‘When enough institutions subscribe, content for that subscription year will be OA for all to read under a CC licence’, next to the orange Open Access logo.

S2O is a collaborative Open Access model that allows journals to transition from gated access to Open Access with continued library subscriptions. If enough institutions renew their subscriptions, that year’s content will ‘flip’ to Open Access—this means every author’s work in that year is published Open Access, without any publishing charges for the authors involved.

Key benefits:

For Librarians: Exclusive online access — for the duration of the subscription — to extensive journal archives dating back as far as 1923, alongside supporting the equitable and open access to new research.

For Academics: Recommend a subscription to your librarian to help make these journals openly accessible to all. If the subscription threshold is met, that year’s content will be published Open Access and authors will have their work published OA at no cost.

Journals in the Package
  • Cover of the Australian Journal of French Studies. The design is red with black and white horizontal bars. Journal title is printed in large white text aligned to the right.
  • Cover of the Bulletin of Contemporary Hispanic Studies, a journal of the Bulletin of Hispanic Studies. The design features a photograph of the intricate ceiling and columns inside the Sagrada Família basilica in Barcelona, with geometric stone patterns and warm lighting.
  • Cover of the Bulletin of Hispanic Studies. The title is in large black serif font on a white background with teal accents. The cover lists article titles and authors.
  • Cover of Catalan Review: International Journal of Catalan Culture. The title is in large red serif font within a thin grey box at the top, with the subtitle in black below. At the bottom is a small black brushstroke-style emblem. Text notes the journal is published on behalf of the North American Catalan Society (NACS) by Liverpool University Press.
  • Cover of Contemporary French Civilization. The background is dark blue with the title in large bold white text. Subheading in red reads: ‘An interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of French-speaking cultures throughout the world’. Published by Liverpool University Press.
  • Cover of CFC Intersections. Background features a mosaic pattern of irregular turquoise, blue, and grey stone tiles. The subtitle reads: ‘A journal devoted to intersectional French and Francophone studies’. Published by Liverpool University Press.
  • Cover of the European Journal of Language Policy / Revue européenne de politique linguistique. The top half is cream with article titles and authors listed. The lower half is light blue with additional article listings. Published by Liverpool University Press.
  • Cover of French Studies: A Quarterly Review. The title appears in large red text on a cream background with a red divider line. The cover lists article titles and authors. Published by Liverpool University Press for the Society for French Studies.
  • Cover of French Studies Bulletin: A Quarterly Supplement. Title in large red font on a cream background with a red divider line. Articles and author names are listed in small black text. Published by Liverpool University Press for the Society for French Studies.
  • Cover of the Journal of Romance Studies. The title is in teal on a white background. A decorative tile design with a central flower motif in green, orange, and blue appears in the lower half. Text at the bottom reads: ‘The journal of the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies’. Logos of the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies and the School of Advanced Study, University of London, are included.
  • Cover of the Journal of Romanian Studies. Dark blue background with the journal title in large light blue and white text. At the top left is the Society for Romanian Studies (SRS) logo. The central image is a light blue outline map of Romania. Published by Liverpool University Press.
  • Cover of Québec Studies. The background is light blue with a repeating fleur-de-lis pattern. The journal title appears in large white text at the centre, with the issue number at the top right. Text at the bottom reads: ‘A Publication of the American Council for Québec Studies’.
  • Cover of Revista Iberoamericana, published by the Instituto Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana. The design features a black background with a vivid abstract band of pink, orange, and yellow across the middle. Text in the center reads: ‘Poesía y poéticas iberoamericanas, siglos XX y XXI’. At the bottom: ‘Volumen XCI, Número 292, Julio-Septiembre 2025’. Sponsored by Liverpool University Press.
Why Editors Support This Initiative

Claire Taylor, Bulletin of Hispanic Studies:
‘I’m really excited as to what LUP’s new Subscribe to Open model will mean for the Bulletin of Hispanic Studies. Not only will it increase visibility for our authors, it will also, crucially, mean that the research published in the journal will reach a much wider audience. As a Latin Americanist myself, I’m particularly keen to see our articles reach a readership – particularly in the Global South – who might not otherwise have access to the excellent research within the journal’.

Jennifer Rushworth, French Studies Bulletin:
‘I’m delighted that French Studies Bulletin will be part of LUP’s Subscribe to Open initiative. This model offers an exciting opportunity to make high-quality research more accessible and widely read and is a wonderful development for all of our authors’.

Chris Watkin, Australian Journal of French Studies:
‘The Subscribe to Open model reflects the long-standing commitment in French and Francophone cultures to making knowledge a public good. We are delighted that the LUP Open Languages initiative will enable rigorous research in French and Francophone studies to circulate freely, fostering dialogue and discovery across intellectual, linguistic, and geographic borders’.

How to Support Open Access

Librarians can view 2026 pricing and renew subscriptions to support this model.

If you’re an academic and you would like to recommend the journals to your librarian, visit any journal homepage and click the “recommend” button to notify your library.

Find out more about LUP Open Languages

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www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk

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  1. Pingback: Heroes or Villains? Democracy, Discourse, and New Actors in Romanian Politics: Inside the New Journal of Romanian Studies Special Issue | Liverpool University Press Blog

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