Call for expressions of interest: your novel idea of publication

Black envelopes neatly arranged and secured with twine on a polished wooden table.

Stanford University Press (SUP) and King’s Digital Lab (KDL, King’s College London) invite expressions of interest to propose ideas for a digital academic publication blending cutting-edge technology with very high quality scholarship.

Links to King's Digital Lab

Links to SUP Digital logo

KDL and SUP wish to collaborate with interested researchers in developing a scholarly product that achieves technical quality while benefitting, at the same time, from robust archiving, and a responsible sustainability and research data management plan.1

Expressions of interest should:

  • Be innovative and experimental in proposing forms and formats for an enhanced and engaging academic publication, taking advantage of the affordances of the web while advancing complex arguments;2
  • Fall within the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences spectrum of disciplines (multi or interdisciplinary foci are encouraged);
  • Address an international audience;3
  • Not be limited by a prescriptive use of technology (we will work with you to identify the best approach).

Anybody affiliated - also temporarily - to an academic institution can apply; proposals from early career researchers are welcome.

This call encourages forward thinking proposals that seek to deploy cutting edge technology to enlarge our conception of the monograph form and associated issues of research data management and sustainability. King’s Digital Lab and Stanford University Press encourage expansive (high risk) ideas that blend quality scholarship with advanced technologies and best in class design principles.

Selection and follow up process

The call welcomes experimental and technology-agnostic ideas which will be reviewed and, if deemed promising, selected by an ad hoc committee including but not limited to key KDL and SUP staff.

While funding is not immediately available to develop expressions of interest into fully-fledged products, KDL and SUP will work with the selected candidate/s to seek funding for the winning idea/s to be realised. Once funding is secured, and pending approval by  SUP's peer review process, the selected publication will be developed in collaboration with KDL and SUP staff. The final product would bear the SUP imprint. The ultimate aim of this experimental call is to expand towards a dedicated series.

How to apply and schedule

Ideas should be submitted by **8****th of January 2018** using this online form.

Successful candidate/s, if any, will be notified by 8th of February 2018. After this date, feasibility of the proposal will be further discussed with KDL staff so as to initiate the co-writing of a funding application in collaboration with SUP and the winning candidate/s.


1. See SUP guidelines and KDL approach.
2. See a recent report reflecting on the academic book of the future as part of a project with King’s College London as one of the partners.
3. While SUP can support publications that incorporate other languages, it is specialized in English-language publications.