Call for proposals

The University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing invites scholars and researchers to submit proposals for scholarly journals and book-length edited volumes. 

About our call for proposals

As an online-first, diamond open-access publisher, we are committed to advancing the principles of open access, transparency, and copyright retention. Through our calls, we seek to promote the publication of high-quality scholarly works to readers across Minnesota and across the globe and support scholars through free and independent access to the means of publication.

If you are interested in working with Publishing Services to develop a new publication, please contact libpubs@umn.edu for details. 

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2025 call details

Our 2025 call for proposals closed on October 21, 2024. Notifications of decisions will be sent in November 2024.

Scholarly Journals: We are interested in proposals for new or existing scholarly journals across disciplines. We especially welcome proposals from scholars working in interdisciplinary areas and in subject areas with a limited number of available open access publications. Publishing Services may also review proposals from UMN-affiliated editors of existing journals interested in our diamond open access model.

Edited volumes, book-length: We encourage authors and research teams to submit proposals for edited volumes that will contribute significantly to their respective fields. We are especially interested in edited volumes that will offer authoring opportunities to scholars who have traditionally been underrepresented in the scholarly record. 

Email all proposals and questions to libpubs@umn.edu

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Proposal

Create a single PDF document that addresses all of the following points. (Sample chapters, completed issues, etc. can be submitted as additional files.)

  • A brief overview of your proposed journal or edited volume, including its academic relevance and potential impact and peer review needs.
  • Information about the editorial team or (potential) authors involved in the project, including affiliations. Student-run publications should also provide information for a faculty advisor. Editorial teams should have at least one member who is affiliated with the University of Minnesota
  • An outline of the content of the edited volume or scope of the journal.
  • Anticipated publication date or any important time considerations.
  • Information about the content and/or file types that will be included in this work. (Will this work include audio or video files or interactive content?)
  • A plan for support and a commitment to sustainability, including any sources of labor or funding. 

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Selection criteria

Proposals will be reviewed within the Libraries by the Publishing Services Team members, subject liaison Librarians, and Libraries Administration. Proposals will be reviewed on the following factors:

Quality and variety
The Libraries selects proposals representative of the excellent and diverse scholarship the University produces.

Community value and support
The Libraries looks for proposals that align with the University’s strategic goals, offer unique value to a field or discipline, and offer value to the wider community.

Capacity and complexity
With consideration for the formats we can support, the Libraries will balance the number of new publications we can develop with how complex each project will be to undertake. Innovate forms of scholarship are encouraged.  

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