Open Scholarship in the Humanities
Published on 21. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-350-23747-6 (ISBN)
Description
Exploring the rise of open scholarship in the digital era and its transformational impact on how knowledge is created, shared, and accessed, this open access book offers new insights on the history, development, and future directions of openness in the humanities and identifies key drivers, opportunities, and challenges.
The concept of open research is reconfiguring scholarly communication across all disciplines, changing how understandings are produced through more accessible, participatory, ethical, and transparent approaches, reaching and involving far broader and more diverse publics. Considering multiple stakeholder perspectives, Arthur and Hearn argue that for the humanities to proactively contribute to open knowledge at the global scale, new ways of thinking are needed within every part of the system. In the open information economy, the humanities are on a trajectory following the sciences, but parts of the world are almost completely left out. A cultural shift is required for universities to unlock the powerful potential of humanities open scholarship. In this wide-ranging overview, the authors show why and how the global research community must work together for meaningful outcomes. Open scholarship has undergone a profound change since its beginnings from a call to action to an essential principle in research organizations internationally. However, the core impulse remains: to reshape the information environment and harness the world's knowledge for the greatest benefit of society.
The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Edith Cowan University.
The concept of open research is reconfiguring scholarly communication across all disciplines, changing how understandings are produced through more accessible, participatory, ethical, and transparent approaches, reaching and involving far broader and more diverse publics. Considering multiple stakeholder perspectives, Arthur and Hearn argue that for the humanities to proactively contribute to open knowledge at the global scale, new ways of thinking are needed within every part of the system. In the open information economy, the humanities are on a trajectory following the sciences, but parts of the world are almost completely left out. A cultural shift is required for universities to unlock the powerful potential of humanities open scholarship. In this wide-ranging overview, the authors show why and how the global research community must work together for meaningful outcomes. Open scholarship has undergone a profound change since its beginnings from a call to action to an essential principle in research organizations internationally. However, the core impulse remains: to reshape the information environment and harness the world's knowledge for the greatest benefit of society.
The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Edith Cowan University.
Reviews / Votes
This slim volume summarizes open scholarship from the late 1990s to the present, succinctly compiling the movements ... foundational to open science and ultimately to the humanities. A blueprint for building on open scholarship, it further calls for bringing the same degree of openness to the humanities as has served the sciences for decades ... It is essential reading for librarians, humanities scholars, university leaders, and policymakers. * CHOICE * This book offers a clarion call to academia for the necessity of participating in "the global drive toward an interconnected digital future". Open Scholarship in the Humanities is required reading for digital humanists, chairs of humanities departments, librarians, directors of digital humanities centers, and deans of liberal arts colleges. -- Laura C. Mandell, Professor of English Literature and Founding Director of the Center of Digital Humanities, Texas A&M University, USA Paul Longley Arthur and Lydia Hearn's Open Scholarship in the Humanities gives a concise and up-to-date history and context for open, digital practices in the humanities. A must-read for anyone new to the debate, with plenty also for old hands, Open Scholarship in the Humanities is a crucial and accessible volume for our digital, open times. -- Martin Eve, Professor of Literature, Technology and Publishing, Birkbeck, University of London, UK A compendium, state-of-the art survey and synthesis - an essential entry point, providing the broadest, strongest close-reading and analysis of current open scholarship trends in the Humanities to date. * Ray Siemens, Distinguished Professor of English, University of Victoria, Canada *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
11 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
245 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-23747-6 (9781350237476)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Paul Longley Arthur is Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Research Fellow and Chair in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences, at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He speaks and publishes widely on major challenges and changes facing 21st-century society, from the global impacts of technology on communication, culture and identity to migration and human rights.
Lydia Hearn has over forty years of research experience in Australia, Colombia, Egypt, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. Much of her focus has been on open collaborative development aimed at translating policy into practice through equity and inclusion.
Lydia Hearn has over forty years of research experience in Australia, Colombia, Egypt, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. Much of her focus has been on open collaborative development aimed at translating policy into practice through equity and inclusion.
Content
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Introduction: Unlocking Scholarship
Chapter 1: Scholarly Communication from Past to Present
Chapter 2: Global Policies Promoting Openness
Chapter 3: Barriers in Implementing Open Scholarship
Chapter 4: Toward the Open Humanities
Chapter 5: Reshaping how Universities Assess Research Impact
Conclusion: Pathways to Action
Notes
Bibliography
Index
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Introduction: Unlocking Scholarship
Chapter 1: Scholarly Communication from Past to Present
Chapter 2: Global Policies Promoting Openness
Chapter 3: Barriers in Implementing Open Scholarship
Chapter 4: Toward the Open Humanities
Chapter 5: Reshaping how Universities Assess Research Impact
Conclusion: Pathways to Action
Notes
Bibliography
Index