ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Publishing in History of Science: A Dialogue between Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Authors

Session Submission Type: Sponsored Roundtable

English Abstract

This round table invites the community of historians of science to think over a number of issues related to scholarly publications. The editors of the British Journal for the History of Science, Centaurus, and Isis, and representatives of the respective publishing houses will discuss with the audience about present and future challenges. We will focus on the different models of Open Access and how and if they contribute to reduce inequalities in the writing and reading of history of science in the global world. On the one hand, authors from low-income countries may have access to fruition and production of high-level knowledge. On the other hand, learned societies are likely losing an important source of income. Moreover, in countries like India, most US and European publishers either don't sell their books, or sell through some obscure local agent. And even OA projects like Google Books are not accessible. Another aspect we will like to discuss is peer review, its continuing centrality to our work and our field, and why it's something that scholars should agree to do. AI is one of the challenges we have to meet nowadays. To what extent the use of AI in writing above all is acceptable? On the one hand, it allows non-native English speakers to produce a better text, but it might modify academic English by producing a sort of more uniformed style.

Sub Unit

• ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Chair

• Daniele Cozzoli

Commentators

• Elise K Burton, University of Toronto

• Adam Mosley, Swansea University

• Projit Bihari Mukharji, Ashoka University

• Doubravka Olsakova, Charles University, CZ

• Amanda Rees, University of York, UK