Journal launch celebrates partnership and demonstrates possibilities of open-access publishing
The new open-access journal from the Arthur V. Mauro Institute at the University of Manitoba is an example of what is possible through partnering with the University of Manitoba Libraries.
The launch of the International Journal for Peace and Justice (IJPJ) was recently celebrated with members of St. Paul’s College and the Libraries in attendance. The creation of the peer-reviewed, open-access journal represents a major step in the development of the Mauro Institute and provides a platform to research, promote, share and discuss various aspects of peace and justice.
The Mauro Institute had committed to creating its own peace journal and sought the help of UM Libraries to make the dream a reality. “I kept running into Stan [the Mauro Institute’s director] in the library, and in typical hero’s journey fashion, ignored him a couple times,” said subject librarian Benjamin Dueck jokingly at the journal’s launch celebration. Dueck is the subject librarian for peace and conflict studies, and part of the Libraries open publishing team. “But eventually I realized this was going to be a project that was going to be important in the long-term.”
The Libraries open publishing team, made up of Librarian Benjamin Dueck, Research Services Librarian Andrea Szwajcer, and Open Educational Resource Specialist Glenn Bergen, collaborated with the Mauro Institute to pursue openly publishing the journal to ensure the widest possible access.
With publishers continuing to raise subscription fees for journals and make authors pay to publish, there are significant benefits to open access publishing. “Glenn [Bergen] and I are on a mission to promote diamond publishing at the university,” said Andrea Szwajcer at the journal launch celebration. “It’s a long-term journey.”
The International Journal for Peace and Justice is a diamond open-access journal, which means that authors don’t have to pay any fees to publish in it, and the journal is freely accessible to the public and everyone involved in the publication process.
The Libraries team set up hosting for the journal in Open Journal Systems, the UM-hosted open-access journal publishing platform. The IJPJ is the newest hosted publication.
The journal is now live and available to access.
Another aspect of the creation of the IJPJ was acquiring the International Journal of Peace Studies, and connecting the archive of issues to the current iteration. That meant getting the Copyright Office on board, as well as UM Libraries Digitization Centre to digitize old hard-copy issues. Now, the Libraries team is working to ensure the journal is listed in all the right registries and in the same places as similar peace journals to improve international discoverability. “We’re here to help the editorial team every step of the way,” said Szwajcer.
The publication of this journal effectively reflects the Mauro Institute’s value of partnership. “I was thrilled that our Libraries team agreed to partner with us and shepherd our efforts to publish the International Journal for Peace and Justice,” says Stan Amaladas, Mauro Institute director. “Above all, I was confident that we were in good hands. The Libraries team played a pivotal role in guiding us through every stage of the publishing process, from planning and infrastructure to launch. Their expertise, responsiveness, and commitment to excellence were instrumental in transforming our vision into a successful, open-access journal. This partnership not only ensured a strong launch but also laid a sustainable foundation for the journal’s future impact.”
Forthcoming issues are already in the works, with the next issue planned as conference proceedings from the International Network of Museums for Peace conference this summer.
This is only the beginning for the Mauro Institute’s new journal and UM Libraries support of open publishing at the university. Szwajcer shared, “I hope this showcases to other university researchers what diamond publishing could look like at the university.”
The Libraries offers publication support and hosting services to assist the UM community to develop open access publications for scholarship and instruction, including online journals, open educational resources (OER), and digital publications and projects.
UM is home to researchers and scholars who respond to emerging issues and lead innovation in our province and around the world. Creating knowledge that matters is one of the strategic themes you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.
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