JHUP ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CONVERSATION & MADE BY HISTORY

Johns Hopkins University Press director Barbara Kline Pope has announced an innovative combination of initiatives aimed at amplifying the impact of ground-breaking scholarly work published by the Press.  New partnerships with the acclaimed curated news sites The Conversation and Made by History will give Press authors and journal editors and contributors significant new opportunities to frame their expertise and insights for audiences beyond the academic realm through “explanatory journalism.”  

“These two platforms combine to advance the core mission of our book and journal publishing—bringing the deep expertise of researchers and academics to broader discussions of public issues,” said Pope. “We are committed to making a positive impact on the world through the dissemination of solid, peer-reviewed knowledge and information. These partnerships make it even more likely that our authors and editors can make a difference through informed, civil public discourse.”

As the first university press to join The Conversation as a supporting member, JHUP aligns itself with a widely-praised effort to “provide a fact-based and editorially independent forum, free of commercial or political bias.”  The Conversation launched in the U.S. as a pilot project in October 2014, offering an independent and open source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public. The Press’s membership provides direct access to The Conversation’s editorial team and advance notice of stories being developed in subject areas well-represented by the Press’s books and journals.

The Washington Post’s Made by History is a similar effort aimed at helping readers “understand the history behind the breakneck news.” Articles offer historical analyses that help to put headline-making events in their larger historical context, explaining the origins of policy battles, illuminating social and cultural pathways, and grappling with parallels between the past and present.  Membership in Made by History ensures that Press authors and editors have increased opportunities to contribute meaningfully to public understanding of current events.

“Our new partnerships with The Conversation and Made by History make for a powerful opportunity for our authors and editors to broaden the discoverability and impact of their research and writing,” notes editorial director Greg Britton.  “We believe so strongly in the relevance and significance of the scholarly work we publish, and the heart of our mission is to share that work with the reading public.”

“We are so pleased to welcome Johns Hopkins as our first university press member,” said Bruce Wilson, Executive Director and Co-CEO of The Conversation, “and we look forward to partnering with others in the university press community to bring even broader attention to the expertise available in the vital works they publish.”    

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