Scottish Universities Press

Scottish Universities Press (SUP) is an open access scholarly publisher established as a collaborative initiative by Scotland's university libraries. It is coordinated through the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL) and managed by 20 academic libraries across Scotland and Northern Ireland. SUP's mission is to provide a clear and cost-effective route for researchers to make their work freely available to a global audience, meeting funder requirements and extending the impact of research across society. The press publishes monographs, edited collections, and textbooks in any subject, all under open access with Creative Commons licences. It operates on a not-for-profit basis and is structured as a Community Interest Company (CIC), ensuring that all 20 member libraries have equal status in its governance. SUP launched its first call for book proposals in 2022 and continues to expand its list, with titles available for free download. The press is led by a Management Board with representatives from each member library, an Editorial Board of 14 researchers who manage peer review, and a small operational team including a Press Manager, Publishing Officer, and Commissioning Editor.

Scottish Universities Press (SUP) emerged from a collaborative effort among Scotland's academic libraries to address the need for a clear and cost-effective route to open access publishing. The initiative was driven by the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), a membership body that has supported collaborative initiatives across Scotland's academic libraries for over 30 years. In 2019, SCURL commissioned research to test the proof of concept for a collaborative universities press. The resulting report, 'Proof of Concept for a Scottish University Press', was very favourable towards the prospect, and discussions began on taking forward the findings. A Management Board was formed from representatives at participating institutions and met for the first time in 2021. After an open call for applications, the SUP Editorial Board was appointed in July 2022. SUP launched its first call for book proposals in 2022. The press is managed by 20 academic libraries across Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it has transitioned to a Community Interest Company (CIC) structure, according all 20 members equal status in the running of the Press and ensuring that SUP will always remain not-for-profit and able to serve the needs of the academic community. The day-to-day operations are managed by a small team, including SCURL Executive Officer Gillian Daly as Press Manager, SUP Publishing Officer Dominique Walker, and freelance Commissioning Editor Paul Clarke. An Editorial Board consisting of 14 researchers from across member institutions manages the peer review process and makes all editorial decisions on content. SUP publishes monographs, edited collections, and textbooks in any subject, all open access with Creative Commons licences, and welcomes proposals from researchers at all UK higher education institutions.

• 2022

  SUP Editorial Board appointed in July 2022 after an open call for applications.

• 2022

  SUP launched its first call for book proposals.

• 2021

  Management Board formed from representatives at participating institutions and met for the first time.

• 2019

  SCURL commissioned research to test the proof of concept for a collaborative universities press.

Open and ethical publishing solution managed by Scotland's university libraries

• Beyond the state: Music in the rural creative economy

• Building a feminist nation: Scotland in the era of polycrisis

• Democratising spy watching: Public oversight of intelligence-driven…

• Conversations with George Pattison: God, philosophy, and the meaning of life

1. 1Scottish Universities Presssup.ac.uk
2. 2Mission — Scottish Universities Presssup.ac.uk
3. 3About — Scottish Universities Presssup.ac.uk
4. 4Submit a Book Proposal — Scottish Universities Presssup.ac.uk
5. 5Wikidatawikidata.org