The Association of University Presses notes with pleasure the creation of a University Press Charter by several member presses, announced during University Press Week 2026 (November 9-13). This document articulates why university presses matter and encourages presses to work together to shape a better future for scholarly publishing at a time when trust, quality, and public research funding are under threat.
“We are a diverse community, working across different disciplines, languages, regions, scales, and publishing models,” the charter states. “What connects us is a shared commitment to scholarship and to the institutions and communities that create, use, and sustain it.”
The charter’s cofounders—Edinburgh University Press, Liverpool University Press, University of London Press, Manchester University Press, and Princeton University Press, led by Bristol University Press and Cambridge University Press—invite signatory presses to demonstrate steps taken to prioritize quality and integrity above volume, increase transparency about the value and costs of publishing, keep human judgement at the center of their work, expand equitable access to knowledge, and support fair recognition for scholarly contributions to publishing, such as peer review.
Thus far, 108 publishers from 26 countries have signed the charter.
“We applaud our member presses in the UK who have created this charter and, importantly, intend it as a starting point for further engagement locally, nationally and globally,” said AUPresses executive director Peter Berkery. “Its announcement rings true during University Press Week, as we celebrate the collective vigor of our global scholarly publishing community and the mission-driven, collaborative vitality of university presses’ work.”
Learn more about the charter and its signatories here: https://upcharter.hcommons.org/