Policy Press

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are foundational to our business ethos and we consider demographic, experiential and cognitive diversity in our policies and practices. We value the diversity of thought, belief and background of our authors, editors and staff which enable us to publish a wide range of voices that challenge accepted norms.

We have been publishing authors from marginalised groups since our inception 25 years ago, with the belief that experiential knowledge is a powerful means to understand social issues alongside other research methods.

Tackling inequalities and social exclusion is a central plank of our publishing strategy and we have published cutting-edge work across gender, sex, sexuality, age, disability and health, socio-economic background and social class, race and ethnicity, and religion and belief since 1996. We ensure that EDI implications and intersectionality are discussed in many of our publications where the focus is on other topics.

Our work with Research4Life and other partners helps ensure the research we publish is accessible to those in developing economies. With our focus on research that addresses global social challenges, we recognise that a new intellectual endeavour needs to be forged with researchers in the global South. We have appointed a Publisher for International Development, we champion moves to decolonise the university and support indigenous research.

We are working on moving from an informal company ethos to developing a formalised EDI strategy. Our EDI working group has representatives from all areas of our company and has an action plan across six streams:

  • Staff recruitment and retention
  • Office culture and policies
  • Our customers and vendors
  • Authors and reviewers
  • Publishing programme
  • External messaging and outreach

As the streams of work are developed further we will add additional information to these pages.

In addition to our commitments as part of the University of Bristol, we are a signatory to the Joint Statement of Principles of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications and the Diversity Charter developed by the Creative Industries Council

Read the C4DISC Joint Statement of principles here.

Read the Creative Industries Council Diversity Charter here.


Our staff and ways of working strategy 

Bristol University Press recognises the value of a truly diverse workforce and the contribution that every individual can make. In order to achieve and maintain excellence, we work hard to create an environment that respects the diversity of staff and encourages and enables them to achieve their full potential, to contribute fully, and to derive maximum benefit and enjoyment from their involvement in the life of the organisation. 

We aspire to a fully inclusive culture. We value the diversity of thought, belief and background in our community that enables BUP to be effective at challenging accepted norms and resilient in the face of continual change. We are therefore determined to attract and retain a more diverse workforce than ever before.

Our commitments to staff

We will further enhance our ability to attract the very best staff by continuing to improve our recruitment and selection activities, including the use of a campaign approach where appropriate. 

We will nurture individual excellence and unlock potential by reviewing personal development and performance management process and maintain our emphasis on leadership and management development. 

We will increase diversity within our staff population through a range of measures including ensuring gender diversity on all interview panels, openly advertising all senior posts and encouraging applicants from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities.  

We will continue to find new ways to ensure high-quality two-way communication with staff and make sure appropriate mechanisms are in place for staff to feed into decision making.  

We will empower our staff to operate effectively through a lean and agile approach to governance and management that enables them to fulfil their roles and provide effective, transparent and accountable decision making.  

Accessibility 

We are committed to ensuring that all our products are made available to as wide an audience as possible. Our research and publications are there to influence and inform, so it is important to our wider mission that this content is accessed by everyone regardless of age, ability or situation. We were proud to receive Highly Commended in the ASPIRE Accessibility Awards 2019, awarded by JISC. More details about how we achieve that can be found here.