Responsible Publishing

Access to knowledge

We have made a policy decision to offer lower cost eBooks to individuals simultaneously with print publication through Google Books and other consumer eBook vendors.

 

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact

We are proud to have signed up to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Publishers Compact. Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the SDGs during the Decade of Action (2020-2030), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop and inspire action in that direction. The compact features 10 action points that publishers can commit to undertake to accelerate progress to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Explore our curated content that relates to individual Sustainable Development Goals through our SDG collections.

 

eifl electronic information for libraries 

We also work in partnership with Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL). EIFL is a not-for-profit organization that works with libraries to enable access to knowledge in developing and transition economy countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.

As part of the collaboration Edward Elgar Publishing has agreed to provide institutions in 38 countries with free access to its journals and development studies ebooks via the Edward Elgar Publishing content platform.

The agreement initially ran until 31st December 2016 and was most recently renewed in 2020 to run until 31st December 2025 (read more on the Elgar Blog here). The agreement is open to EIFL partner-consortia and their member libraries in countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Congo, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Macedonia, Malawi, Maldives, Moldova, Namibia, Nepal, Palestine, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Read the full list of institutions.

We are also supporting an important new EIFL initiative in Myanmar. Funded by the Open Society Foundation’s Higher Education Support Program, the EIFL eLibrary Myanmar project is transforming access to information in Myanmar, initially at Yangon University and Mandalay University. As part of the project Edward Elgar Publishing will provide the institutions with free access to law and development studies ebooks from 2010 to 2016. This agreement was renewed in 2020 to run until 31st December 2022.

 

Global Online Access to Legal Information

We are proud to announce our partnership with GOALI (Global Online Access to Legal Information), a programme of the Research4Life group. Following its launch in March 2018, this programme aims to provide free or low-cost online access to law-related academic and professional content to institutions in over 115 countries. GOALI is the newest of five component programmes of Research4Life, alongside the following:

Hinari (Access to Research in Health), sponsored by the World Health Organization

AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture), sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization

OARE (Online Access to Research in the Environment), sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme, in cooperation with Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

ARDI (Access to Research for Development and Innovation), sponsored by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

We are delighted to offer access to our Elgaronline journal content, as well as a Developing studies eBook collection. In July 2018, we agreed to be part of an extended partnership with Research4Life, providing digital content for institutions now through to 2025. 

Find out more information about Research4Life here, or read a series of extraordinary case studies on how these programmes have changed the lives of those in developing countries.

 

Baobab, an ebooks service to academic libraries in Africa. 

We also work with Baobab.

Responding to the growing demand for ebooks from African colleges, universities and academic libraries, Baobab Ebooks is a collaboration between two leading companies in the field of export bookselling to Africa - Mallory International and Tula Publishing.

Offering a mix of free and paid-for content, Baobab sources local titles as well as conventional European and American publisher ebook lists.

Through their existing network of representatives across 22 African countries, we have established relations with many African tertiary institutions and have extensive experience of the library procurement procedure across the continent.

Baobab Ebooks has created a platform which addresses the particular requirements of African libraries, librarians and their users. Their years of print book experience mean that the ebooks available on this platform are all already recognised in the regions, encouraging usage and transition from print. Baobab Ebooks is able to offer hands-on support to librarians through their network of dedicated representatives.

 

Wikimedia Library

Elgar Publishing is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Wikipedia Library, a project of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which will provide Wikipedia editors with full-text access to Elgar’s online content. The Wikipedia Library is an open research hub, a place for active Wikipedia editors to gain access to the vital reliable sources that they need to do their work and to be supported in using those resources to improve the encyclopedia. It is run by a team of staff and global volunteers and funded by the Wikimedia Foundation. This partnership will aid better citations and more accurate content on Wikipedia, leading to better visibility for Elgar content. 

 

Environmental awareness

Edward Elgar Publishing understands the need to take into account its impact on the environment and our employees are dedicated to the continued improvement of our environmental activities.

 

What we are doing
  • Our editorial processing and production workflow is electronic to avoid printing hard copy and transferring papers by courier.
  • Our new books and catalogues are printed by companies that enforce a strict environmental code of practice.
  • The environmental code of our main book printer, TJ International, can be seen here.
  • All our books and journals are printed on FSC-accredited paper.
  • The sustainability ethos of our main paper supplier can be seen here.
  • We are a plastic bag free company, instead choosing to give 100% recycled, reusable and recyclable bags to our customers.
  • All three offices participate in a variety of recycling schemes for office and general purpose products where possible.
  • In our purchasing policy we support, where possible, companies that trade ethically.
  • We are continuing our efforts to make our offices more energy efficient.

 

Enaikishomi School

Edward Elgar Publishing supports the Enaikishomi School in Kenya, established in memory of Edward and Sandy Elgar’s daughter Amy. Enaikishomi School provides education and life skills for children from the ages of 3 to 14 years old, many of whom would not otherwise have access to education. Please read more here for details on the most recent visit to Enakishomi in October 2018. 

 

Inclusivity and Diversity  

At Edward Elgar Publishing we have always aimed to curate a broad, diverse and inclusive list which reflects the wide-range of research and perspectives within the subject areas we publish. As a global publisher we work with academics, booksellers, professionals and customers in over 140 countries and firmly believe our international approach enriches and supports our academic and professional communities.

As an employer, we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment in which all individuals are able to make the best use of their skills. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.