Routledge launches 'truly unique' arts and humanities research platform

Routledge is to launch an open research platform for the Arts, Humanities and Social Science community, in a move thought to be a first for the industry.

An arm of the Taylor & Francis Group, the Arts, Humanities and Social Science publishing specialist will combine books, articles and other research outputs in one interdisciplinary venue named Routledge Open Research. 

The new platform will utilise the publishing model, technology and knowledge pioneered by its open research publishing partner F1000 (which Taylor & Francis Group acquired in 2020) to provide Humanities and Social Science scholars with a "rapid, accessible and collaborative" venue to publish their work. It is believed to be a first in the industry.

Mechanisms to assure quality and transparency, including invited and open peer-review, article versioning, archiving and indexing, will be at the forefront of the platform. It will also endorse the FAIR Data Principles, enabling authors to share their underlying data and supporting materials, with the aim of improving public trust in research.  

Ian White, portfolio development specialist at Routledge, said: “With the drive towards open research gaining momentum among the Humanities and Social Science community, we have harnessed our relationship with F1000 to create a credible publishing platform that supports easy, rapid and transparent publishing, while giving authors the opportunity to increase the discoverability, accessibility and reach of their research.

“A vital element of open research is ‘knowledge mobilisation’. That’s all about bringing as many relevant stakeholders to engage with published content as possible. When you consider that the main aim of a researcher is to make a difference through their work, Routledge Open Research offers a way to maximise contact with multiple audiences. These interactions will undoubtedly inform the author’s work, creating a virtuous cycle towards real impact.”

As well as research articles, Routledge Open Research will feature a variety of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed content such as books (accessible through the organisation's Open Plus Books initiative), data notes, software tools, methods articles, policy briefs, case studies, posters, slides and technical reports.

Anna Clarkson, editorial director at Routledge, said: “Earlier in the year we launched Open Plus Books, our new concept in book publishing that combines the Taylor & Francis and F1000 publishing models to publish books that are rapid, open-first, dynamic, iterative and updatable. This reimagining of the book means that an extensive and diverse range of outputs from all stages of the Humanities and Social Science research process can now sit side by side in one interdisciplinary space, enabling researchers, institutions, societies and funders to curate powerful, landmark collections with the potential to have real-world impact. This, for me, is what makes Routledge Open Research truly unique.”

Rebecca Lawrence, m.d. of F1000, said: “Routledge Open Research is an exciting partnership which perfectly marries Routledge’s world-leading reputation and editorial expertise in Humanities and Social Science with F1000’s trailblazing open research publishing model. Humanities and Social Science research today is incredibly rich and forms a crucial component of solving many of today’s problems, requiring increasing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration. 

"We are seeing the techniques, data and methodologies associated with one discipline adapted and used to further research or solve a problem connected with an entirely different field. Routledge Open Research is perfectly positioned to ensure rapid and full access to this breadth of research fields and formats for the benefit of the scholarly community and industry, and society more broadly.” 

Routledge Open Research will officially launch in the spring of 2022, with books coming onboard in the autumn of 2022. It will be governed by an independent global Editorial Advisory Board of researchers from different disciplines and at different career stages. The board members will help to support and implement the platform's strategy and provide ongoing direction.