Cambridge Elements
Cambridge University Press (CUP) has launched a new publishing model to provide an outlet for world-class research and writing that sits outside the traditional formats of book or journal article.
Work of between 50 and 120 pages will be published digitally and through print-on-demand as ‘Cambridge Elements’ – concise, peer-reviewed guides to key and current topics across all fields of study and research. These will be organised into focused series, edited by leading scholars.
CUP says they will combine the speed, flexibility and versatility of digital with the highest academic standards.
Chris Harrison, publishing development director for humanities and social science, said: ‘For many years, commercial constraints and the established model of scholarly publishing have prevented publication of a huge variety of work that could not be accommodated within the existing books and journal formats because it was too long for a journal article and too short for a book.
'The rise of digital publishing and print on demand removes these barriers, promising a way to publish a wealth of material from this previously untapped resource. Cambridge Elements provide an outlet for concise, authoritative, and peer-reviewed research across academic disciplines, which we think combines the best features of books and journals.’
He added: ‘We have had an exceptionally enthusiastic response to the possibilities we offer with this format and are delighted to be able to launch Cambridge Elements with content spanning the full range of the Arts and Sciences – everything from cutting edge electronic engineering, through using Twitter as data, to the problem of evil in the Old Testament, all published in focused series edited by top scholars from the world’s leading research universities.’
Cambridge Elements will be published in just 12 weeks and be made available as digital collections to institutional libraries and to individuals as e-books and in print. They can also be regularly updated to provide a dynamic reference resource for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners.
There will also be open access options, in line with the CUP’s stated commitment to help build a sustainable, responsible transition to a more open future for academic publishing.
