Interview with the Editorial Team of A Game Changer in Publishing!
Ecclesial Futures is an international, ecumenical and double-blind peer-reviewed open access journal. It publishes high-quality, original research and theological reflection on the development and transformation of local Christian communities and the systems that support them as they join in the mission of God in the world. Transitioning to Diamond Open Access has been transformative, enabling the journal to make its research freely available worldwide.
Why collaborate with Openjournals?
The editorial team shared their motivation for the switch: “We were stuck with a very traditional publisher who did not promote our printed journal in any way. Diamond Open Access was a game changer for us, moving us to the forefront of 21st-century publishing very quickly.” The collaboration with Openjournals has been especially valuable due to the innovative model: “The partnership between Openjournals and Radboud UP allows us to publish at no cost, as long as we provide editorial and peer-review services for free.”
The Importance of Open Science and Open Access
The team highlights the critical role of Open Access in their field: “As an international journal, it’s essential that our research is accessible to regions where subscription costs are a barrier. Open Access overcomes this entirely.”
They also point out the benefits for inclusivity: “It ensures that research can be accessed by anyone with a computer and an internet connection, no matter their financial resources.”
Experiences with the Openjournals platform
The editorial team describes their experience with the Openjournals platform as positive. One feature they find particularly useful is the ease of editing website content: “This saves us a lot of back-and-forth with publishers or web developers.”
