Cambridge Scholars Publishing is delighted to announce that we are now underway with our joint initiative to undertake research on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the UK publishing industry.

The initiative is being led by Dr Rima Hussein, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion of the Leadership and Human Resource Management (LHRM) Dept. at Northumbria university. CSP authors and editors are invited to share their experiences within the publishing industry through a survey conducted by Rima and her team.

---

There are calls for further change and progress in the publishing industry following the Publisher’s Association 2021 survey. The results showed an increase in women in leadership roles and greater representation of the LGBT+ community. However, the results also illustrated that the goals around recruiting and retaining diverse employees in the industry require further work, with the Chief Executive of the Publishers association stating “we must accelerate change and as an industry we are committed to increasing our efforts.” More information on the survey is available here: https://www.publishers.org.uk/findings-of-publishing-workforce-survey/

As academics we understand that the publishing process is not a simple one. We are interested in hearing about your experiences to reflect on how considerations of equity, diversity and inclusion can be better built into the publishing process. This goes beyond your experiences of Cambridge Scholars Publishing and extends to how the publishing process can be better crafted for authors in the industry and the change that is required.

In our survey we want to explore four thematic areas with you;

1. Your experiences of the publishing industry,
2. How processes hinder or support different voices,
3. Challenges to the current publishing norms,
4. Recommendations to do better.

We are looking to make recommendations to support more inclusive publishing and would appreciate your involvement in our survey, which will be rolling out this Summer. Our aim is to challenge the current publishing practices to develop further and extend the inclusivity of the industry by listening to the views of those that matter the most.

Dr Rima Hussein

Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, LHRM Dept

Newcastle Business School, City Campus East 1,

Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST.

E: rima.hussein@northumbria.ac.uk

---

Over the years CSP has built an author community is truly global and diverse, and we guarantee that each proposal we receive will be given an equal and fair assessment, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, nor any other discriminatory factor. We are extremely proud of our commitment to inclusivity, and we’re looking forward to learning what more we can do to further improve once the research concludes. 

To learn more about our commitment to EDI, as well as our approach to publishing topics related to the theme of Social Justice, then you can follow the link below to read through an article by CSP Senior Advisor, John Peters, for the influential No Shelf Required online magazine.

Should academic publishing intersect with social justice issues? http://www.noshelfrequired.com/should-academic-publishing-intersect-with-social-justice-issues/

Cambridge Scholars Publishing is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and publisher. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. We are committed to promoting equal opportunities and inclusion in the workplace, both as an employer and as a provider of services. We recognise and appreciate that every individual is different. We try to actively support diversity and inclusion. Learn more.