Open access and academic equity: the journey to publication with the University of Manchester
Dr Ellie Gore's recent publication with the University of Manchester underscores the impact of open access publishing on the academic community and beyond.
The University of Manchester is committed to making research more accessible through its diamond open access funding model. This initiative highlights the collaborative efforts between institutions to make research widely available.
Queer Activism in Ghana
Dr Ellie Gore's book, 'Between HIV Prevention and LGBTI Rights: The Political Economy of Queer Activism in Ghana', explores the effects of global sexual rights agendas on queer politics and activism in Ghana. It was published in October 2024 by the University of Michigan Press. Ellie says:
"'Between HIV Prevention and LGBTI Rights' investigates the transformative impacts of global development’s ‘sexual rights agenda’ on queer politics and activism in Ghana."
Their research, spanning more than a decade, included a 13-month ethnography of LGBTI/HIV organisations in Accra. This extensive fieldwork allowed Dr Gore to critically assess the effectiveness of rights-based sexual health interventions.
Their motivation for this research stemmed from firsthand experiences in Ghana. Ellie recalls:
"I was working for an NGO in Ghana in 2011… and there was this huge media furore about homosexuality and LGBT rights, what we might a call a ‘moral panic’. Many of my colleagues at the time started talking about it and it was all over the newspapers and the radio. I became interested in what was driving this moral panic and the broader politicisation of homosexuality in Ghana. Was it primarily related to neocolonial interventions from countries like the UK, as some commentators were suggesting?
"I was also curious about what queer activists in Ghana were asking for, what political demands they were making, and how they understood questions around sexual injustice. So, I went back to university, did a master's, and then pursued this as my PhD project."
The Path to Open Access
Initially, Dr Gore was unsure about how to go about publishing their book through open access. They first explored options available through the University of Manchester. Ellie said:
"I started doing a bit of research to see if there were any options available through the University of Manchester, and I found the library's open access monograph competition. That was my main strategy in the first instance, to try and secure open access via that route. But then I found out about the UKRI long-form output funding."
With support from the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the University of Michigan Press’ Fund to Mission scheme, Dr Gore’s manuscript became eligible for open access. The University of Manchester Library played a crucial role in securing the necessary funding.
Stephen Carlton, research services coordinator at the University of Manchester library, explains:
"Over the last few years, we have looked to implement a new framework [for the acquisition of open access monographs] (published in May 2024) for making decisions as a university about how we support open access monograph schemes.
We support diamond open access monograph schemes because they offer a more sustainable and equitable route to open access for books. Our competition allows us to fund a few books each year, and we also invest in community solutions like the Open Book Collective and the University of Michigan Press’ Fund to Mission scheme, which Ellie’s book was published through.”
When Dr Gore learned that their book would be published open access, they were delighted. Ellie said:
"I had always wanted and hoped that the book might be published open access."
The primary benefit Ellie sees in this model is the accessibility it provides to academics, activists, and civil society organisations in Ghana and other parts of Africa. Ellie says:
"There are these long-standing inequalities when it comes to who gets to write, publish, and read research on Africa."
Open access helps address these disparities by making scholarship widely available.
Impact and Future Aspirations
The support from the University of Manchester and UKRI has significantly impacted Dr Gore's experience as an author. Ellie says:
"I've already had a number of colleagues get in touch with me to say how fantastic it is that the book is available open access. It also means people can put it straight on their reading list if they're teaching courses. More meaningfully, I’ve had colleagues in Ghana getting in touch to say they have already accessed the publication and started reading it because it's available online."
This accessibility has allowed Ellie’s work to reach a broader audience, including academics and activists in Ghana. Looking ahead, Dr Gore hopes their book will influence policymakers and contribute to social change regarding LGBTI rights and HIV prevention. Ellie says:
"The book argues that HIV prevention initiatives premised on peer education rely on and exploit the labour of queer working-class men in contexts like Ghana. I would like policymakers to take this on board and to address the potentially harmful and exploitative logics of peer education models.
"More broadly, the book argues that development agendas based on sexual rights frequently do not reflect the priorities and needs of queer working-class communities in contexts like Ghana. These communities face issues related to poverty, unemployment, and economic injustice, which are as significant as specifically sexual rights. The book therefore asks more fundamentally that policymakers actually listen to queer activists and communities in contexts like Ghana."
By highlighting these issues, Ellie aims to advocate for more effective development policies.
The Future of Open Access
For researchers considering the diamond open access route, Dr Gore advises exploring all available options. Ellie suggests:
"Get in touch with your library first; they can signpost you to available routes."
Understanding funding opportunities from research councils is also crucial.
Stephen adds that raising awareness about diamond open access is key:
"We need to do more work to inform researchers about these schemes. Sharing success stories like Ellie’s book will help make the case for more authors to consider open access publishing. Even when a scheme does not directly benefit Manchester-affiliated authors, supporting models like these can make open access publishing easier in the future."
Stephen also notes that Ellie’s book shows the benefits of the UKRI OA monograph policy:
"Because Ellie was UKRI-funded, we were able to reallocate existing open access funds to support another diamond open access initiative. It’s a great case study for encouraging more UKRI-funded authors to consider this route."
Dr Gore envisions open access publishing evolving to address systemic inequalities in academia. Ellie says:
"We need to think more systemically about how unequal power relations shape current academic research and publishing models."
While open access is a significant step forward, more comprehensive changes are needed for a truly equitable academic landscape.
Dr Ellie Gore's journey with the University of Manchester highlights the transformative potential of open access publishing. By making their research accessible to a global audience, Ellie’s publication not only advances academic knowledge but also contributes to the broader fight for social justice in Ghana and beyond.
Explore our role in open access for more information.