Athabasca University's leadership in open access helps secure federal grants

Three scholarly journals managed by Athabasca University have been recognized with federal grant funding that will ensure these publications remain robust outlets for peer-reviewed original research available to audiences around the world.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) accepted all three of AU's Fall 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals grant applications -- two of which are for journals managed by AU Press.

AU Press interim director MacKinley Darlington said this success comes at a pivotal moment as new funding policies require peer-reviewed articles resulting from federally funded research to be open access, meaning they're made freely and immediately available on publication.

"It's an exciting time," she said. "The revised policy affirms a vision that AU Press has embraced since its founding. Open access is central to our identity, and it is encouraging to see federal policy recognize the importance of making publicly funded research openly available."

"I think it speaks to the innovation AU Press was built upon. We have been developing open access expertise and infrastructure for two decades in alignment with and support of our host institution, Athabasca University."

Darlington noted that AU Press is recognised as a leader in the Canadian open-access publishing ecosystem. As journals adapt to the changing landscape, many are looking to AU Press for guidance.

"We are increasingly being asked to share our experience and give advice as others develop plans for how they might want to navigate this," she said. "Journals are looking for practical models that support both quality scholarly publishing and public access. We are well-positioned to leverage our reputation and expertise in open-access publishing to help scholarly journals navigate this time of transition."

The three funded Aid to Scholarly Journals grant applications were for the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL), Labour/Le Travail, and Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology.

This support will help these journals with the ongoing work to make their scholarly articles open and accessible to everyone.

A quarter century of open-access leadership

IRRODL, which is owned by AU Press and AU, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025. It receives hundreds of submissions and publishes more than 40 articles each year.

Dr. Agnieszka Palalas, acting editor-in-chief of the journal, said the journal's work in that time has had a profound impact on the open-access movement. Notably, it was the first open-access journal to receive the Aid for Scholarly Journals grant; before that, SSHRC only funded journals with paid subscriptions.

The journal is affiliated with the Canadian Institute for Distance Education Research (CIDER) and the Open Educational Resources (OER) Knowledge Cloud. CIDER sponsors online professional development activities related to distance education research, while the OER Knowledge Cloud is the largest open-access repository of open education articles anywhere in the world.

More recently, Palalas said the journal has been exploring the role of generative artificial intelligence in scholarly publishing and offering information sessions exploring this topic and related issues.

"The results of this research and my consultation with other international journal chief editors are now being implemented into a refined article submission and review process," she said. "We will continue to use SSHRC funding to upgrade our publishing systems as new versions become available, ensuring our platform remains robust and user-friendly."

Palalas said the successful application builds on years of work by her colleagues at the journal, including managing editor Serena Henderson and past editor-in-chief, Dr. Rory McGreal.

We are well-positioned to leverage our reputation and expertise in open-access publishing to help scholarly journals navigate this time of transition.

MacKinley Darlington, interim director, AU Press

50 years of labour history publishing

Kathy Killoh, journals and digital coordinator at AU Press, said that while Labour/Le Travail is managed through AU Press, the journal itself and the SSHRC application represent the work of editorial colleagues from institutions across the country.

Launched in 1976 by the Canadian Committee on Labour History, the journal publishes articles on topics of working-class history, industrial relations, social movements, and labour history.

Publishing twice a year in both print and electronic formats with a one-year embargo before the content is made freely available, the grant funding will enable the journal to transition to "diamond open access" status by 2028, meaning all content will be immediately available in open access.

Previously based at Dalhousie University and Memorial University, the journal is now published by AU Press, which is supporting its transition to full open access.

"As the journal evaluates its next steps, we will be there to help navigate the process and support the decisions it makes," Killoh said.

AU expertise in open, digital, and distance education

The Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology (CJLT) was launched as Media Message in 1958 and renamed to its current name in 2002. It has been open access since 2011.

It publishes research about timely and relevant issues shaping teaching and learning for educators and students around the world.

CJLT is not managed by AU Press but maintains strong ties to Athabasca University through its editor-in-chief, Dr. Marti Cleveland-Innes, who is a professor of open, digital, and distance education at AU.

"As education evolves with increasing innovation and technological integration, including the rise of AI usage, CJLT remains dedicated to exploring new opportunities to share research-based insights, practical experiences, and expert knowledge," she said.