Five Minutes with Aberdeen University Press

Press Administrator, Sandra Hynes, tells us all about developments at Aberdeen University Press.

Tell us about Aberdeen University Press

Aberdeen University Press was established in 1900 and built a reputation for publishing leading literary and academic works across a range of disciplines. It closed in the 1980s like many other University Presses but it restarted in 2014 focusing on journals and monographs largely focusing on Scottish culture and history.

In 2019 AUP moved to the Open Research Team in the Sir Duncan Rice Library and started the process of transforming into an Open Access Press aspiring to Diamond Open Access.

In line with the University of Aberdeen’s 1495 foundational statement, ‘open to all and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in the service of others’, we publish high quality open access research across all disciplines and fields of enquiry from scholars worldwide. AUP is particularly interested in works of synthesis which are multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary in their approach.  

What challenges have you had to overcome in setting up the Press?

For us it was organising the backfile of the most recent publications, including the two existing journals. And we took our time to choose colours, work on accessibility and get our new AUP logos ready.

Like other presses, it is difficult to manage demand with the resources of a small press but AUP draws on the expertise of colleagues in Open Research in the Sir Duncan Rice Library and across the University. And it is exciting to see the enthusiasm academics have for getting their work out in Open Access formats.

What has been the response from academics at Aberdeen and beyond?

There is quite a lot of institutional publishing going on at the University of Aberdeen from student publications to hosted journals and people are glad that AUP is becoming more centre stage again. It has also given us a chance to get academics involved in the process of publication, from peer reviewing proposals and manuscripts, to sitting on the Academic Advisory Board. AUP is really a very collaborative venture. Academics are interested in having their research make the largest impact possible and open access depends on rigorous peer review.

What is your proudest achievement at AUP so far?

I think the relaunch of AUP as an Open Access University Press in Open Access week 2022 was a great moment and it was wonderful to have Dominique Walker and Hannah Whaley from Scottish Universities Press there with us to celebrate. Both presses are now part of OIPA.

In publication terms – I think the six-volume edition of the Diaries of General Patrick Gordon is a major achievement. Initially this was print only but the Open Access edition allows this important early modern historical resource to reach a wider audience.

Can you share AUP’s future publishing plans?

AUP is looking to expand its publication portfolio beyond it recent work in Scottish Studies by commissioning a wide range of journal titles and monographs. We are also interested in developing a policy papers series, and supporting innovative work in the field of Open Educational Resources.

We also love UCL Press’s experimental Paper Trails: The Social Life of Archives and Collections where the BOOC (Books as Open Online Content) format creates a ‘living book’, which is entirely open access and evolves over time.

Why does open institutional publishing matter?

Open Access makes sense for those of us at AUP because it speaks so directly to the University’s foundational commitment to openness and service, as well as to the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

Adapting to the new publishing environment therefore allows the work we support to reach as wide a global audience as possible, in ways that also supports the author’s needs as a researcher and supports change, choice and diversity.

The foundation of OIPA as a community of best practice highlights the various open institutional publishers who are working together supportively to develop the open access publishing landscape. OIPA really is all that is best about Open Access – we’re all pulling together to make this work.

Why did you join OIPA?

Philippa Grand of University of Westminster Press has always been so helpful to us and she mentioned that a fledging Open Access Publisher Association was forming. AUP had just started up so we attended the early OIPA meetings and when it was formally launched we joined!

What do you think the open institutional sector needs to develop further?

We would be interested in helping to develop codes of best practice in the field, practically as norms around peer review are under debate. Accessibility is also an area in which we want to see further developments, to ensure that publishing is ‘open to all’.

What is the future of the open institutional publishing sector in your view?

We are now working in a fast-developing arena, with policies still emerging for both the UK Research Councils and the forthcoming REF. So, the future direction is still being set, and it exciting to be involved in those developments. At the heart of this is also the evolving nature of the Open Access model of publication itself, and AUP is delighted that we are part of this landscape.

Where can we find out more about AUP?

You can find out more at our website – https://aberdeenunipress.org/  – and on Twitter/X too: @AbdnUniPress