A new series of open access journals from Cambridge University Press will address global challenges by bringing together researchers across national and subject boundaries.
Cambridge Prisms will shape solutions to major scientific, technological and medical challenges with cutting-edge research and reviews.
That research will step out of subject silos, with the scope of each journal built around broad, subject neutral topics – Coastal Futures, Precision Medicine, Global Metal Health, Extinction, Plastics, Water – that encourage collaboration between researchers from different disciplines and make it easy for readers to find relevant content.
Collaboration will also be fostered by the journal’s editorial boards and by the Press, which will help researchers find co-authors that complement their work and bring new perspectives.
Jess Jones, the Publisher and Senior Scientific Editor at the Press overseeing the series, said: “As a publisher, we often see papers submitted where we know another author’s work in peer review would have strengthened its reach and impact. We want to break down these barriers and be involved in accelerating the formation of new research networks.
“That means working with our editorial boards to help authors build those networks and find co-authors that bring greater global representation and viewpoints.
“Ultimately, the aim is to unite researchers who are addressing real world challenges and so accelerate discovery.”
The Cambridge Prisms series will also aim for maximum transparency, with editors tracking and openly summarising the diversity and representation of every manuscript. Peer review of manuscripts will also be open.
The Press has recruited some of the world’s leading scientists and academics to lead the journals in the role of Editor-in-Chief, all of them people who have dedicated their life’s work to addressing major real-world challenges.
Prior to launch, high-profile and rising star authors with diverse knowledge and expertise have been invited to publish reviews across each journal’s topic map and define the interdisciplinary focus for each world challenge.
Mandy Hill, Managing Director of Cambridge University Press, said: “We are launching Prisms as the need to address the world’s biggest challenges grows ever more urgent
“These challenges – climate change, pollution, mental health – are truly global, but all too often research that seeks to address them is not, either because it views those challenges through the lens of a particular discipline or because it provides limited perspectives. Prisms will unite researchers globally across different disciplines, building connections and capturing the wider conversations.”
She added: “It is also vital that this research is published open access so that it can have the widest possible reach and impact, with both an authorship and a readership that is as diverse as possible.
“Open research is at the heart of our mission to benefit society through the pursuit of education, learning and research. We are committed to making the majority of our research articles open access by 2025 and the launch of Prisms is another important step in that transition.”
