In this University of California (UC) Office of Scholarly Communication blog series, we highlight interesting work of leading journals published by UC’s eScholarship Publishing program. Our latest dispatch is from David Delgado Shorter, Editor-in-Chief of American Indian Culture and Research Journal. In his Editorial Statement from the the journal’s most recent issue, Shorter writes:

In the two years since our journal moved to an open-access publishing model, the world has changed in many ways. Many of us in North America are feeling whiplashed by unprecedented cuts to those resources that have made Indigenous studies possible. By leaving the subscription-based budget for one completely dependent on institutional support, we knew that we incurred new and different risks. And now, with the attacks on area studies, research on colonialism, libraries (our primary sponsors), and higher education, and, in addition, considering our own university’s budgetary constriction, we expect a daunting path ahead, financially. If you are able to connect us with institutional, nonprofit, or individual sponsors, please do so. In the meantime, we will continue to produce issue after issue of vital research pertaining to the health and sovereignty of Indigenous communities. Our work here has perhaps never been more relevant.

Last year, at this time, our journal was averaging approximately 13,000 viewers each month. This year we are averaging approximately 30,000 viewers each month. Our December 2024 issue, “Still Bad Indians,” has had more than 3,000 viewers, more than many top-selling books by academic publishers. Having been published only two months ago, our last issue, “Language Lives in Unexpected Places,” has already accumulated more views in a single month than any other issue published since moving to open access. Consider this: in 2024, our journal was viewed more than 360,000 times. On average, 36 percent of visitors to our site decide to download one or more essays. These numbers are impressive by any measure. The statistics evidence not only the quality of our scholarly content but also the reach of AIS research inside and outside of academia. Our move to open access facilitates the widespread dissemination of data, Indigenous methodologies, and Indigenous theories.

Read the full statement at AICRJ.
“Editorial Statement” by David Delgado Shorter is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

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