Social Science Publishing Embraces the Moment

A focus on Black Lives Matter shows that 2020 isn’t just about medical research

by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.

This spring has seen tremendous global change—from the COVID19 pandemic to protests around the world decrying systemic racism. With an initial urgent focus on medical studies, scholarly publishers have proven how indispensable they are in advancing and making available potentially life-saving information. Now attention has shifted to the importance of academic work in social justice, civil unrest, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Once again, publishers are in front of the cultural moment, this time demonstrating the essential nature of the social sciences and working with their communities to address and demand change.

Much like the pandemic, many publishers including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Springer Nature, Emerald Publishing, and Taylor & Francis, have provided free access to relevant online content from books, journal articles, and supplementary resources. In addition, publishers are promoting events featuring a live dialogue on race and diversity, such as the online event Oxford University Press hosted featuring Pulitzer Prize winners Nikole Hannah-Jones, founder of the 1619 Project, Jeffrey Stewart, author of The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke, and Caleb McDaniel, author of Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, which was highlighted in The Scholarly Kitchen.

A cultural awakening this broad requires that all stakeholders join forces to enact change. At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Center for Social Science Scholarship, researchers have built a framework for understanding the Black Lives Matter movement in a larger social context, highlighting statements from across publications on anti-black racism, as well as creating a resource guide and reading list. Many UMBC professors have been speaking or writing about these topics in the media, including an article in Scientific American, “On Racial Justice, Statements Are Not Enough.” In the article, political science professor, Fernando Tormos-Aponte argues that not only do research organizations and publishers need to make a statement and provide access to resources, they need to acknowledge their role and strive to make significant changes.

Many are working toward that goal by amplifying voices and identifying larger issues to move toward real change. For the week of June 8th, the Chefs at The Scholarly Kitchen stepped “off the stage to instead spotlight research and researchers writing about systemic racism from around the globe and from multiple disciplinary perspectives.” On June 10th, Particles for Justice called for a #Strike4BlackLives “to hit pause, to give Black academics a break and to give others an opportunity to reflect on their own complicity in anti-Black racism in academia and their local and global communities.” The strike was joined by 5000 researchers, organizations and journals, including AAAS, American Physical Society, and the Institute of Physics, as summarized in Nature.

All of this is groundbreaking, but there is still a long way to go toward equality—even in our own houses, as highlighted in an article in Harvard Business Review by Tsedale M. Melaku and Angie Beeman entitled “Academia isn’t a Safe Haven for Conversations of Race and Racism.” The piece identifies some of the real challenges in having these internal discussions and charts the way forward: “We believe the most important thing organizations can do is outline clear, actionable steps to create change, not only at the administrative and leadership levels, but also in the behavior and mindset of white colleagues.”

In an industry obsessed with metrics, citations, and impact, 2020 has been a remarkable year for real-world influence and reflection (and it’s only half over). Scholarly publishers and their partners in academia have found themselves at the forefront of helping society understand and adjust to multiple global crises at once. While medical advances may dominate the headlines in normal times, research and perspectives across STM and social science fields have been thrust into the spotlight as essential for well-being and inspiring change, now more than ever.

KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. (formerly Cenveo Publisher Services) is the industry leader in editorial and production services for every stage of the content lifecycle. We are your source for intelligent automation, high-speed publishing, accessibility compliance, digital learning solutions and more. Email us at info@kwglobal.com.