ABOUT

 Guiding Principles of ICER Press

  • Support

    ICER Press supports community-engaged research in its various forms and interpretations as it meets the needs of each community.

  • Advance

    ICER Press seeks to advance Open Scholarship and Open Access publishing to actively overcome barriers that exist with paywall publishing.

  • Justice

    ICER Press upholds a social justice approach to diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in both the content published, the peer-review process, and the formats available through our work.

  • Commitment

    ICER Press is committed to decolonization efforts in publishing by actively prioritizing the inclusion of non-traditional materials in the peer-review process, engaging authors with OCAP® Principles, and honouring the work of The Elements of Indigenous Style by Dr. Gregory Younging.

  • Representation

    ICER Press aims to amplify the multiplicity of voices that represent a range of perspectives and marginalized bodies through inclusive bibliographies and an editorial board that reflects ICER Press’ principles.

Mission, Values, and Commitments

The Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER) Press strives to support and promote the publication of Open Access scholarship focussed on community-engaged research that illustrates a commitment to social justice through the following guiding principles. At ICER Press, we promote cultural expression, foster collaboration, and create space for social change through innovative, emerging modalities. We recognize that ICER Press is physically located at the University of British Columbia on the Okanagan Campus. Our work exists in respect to and in relation with the traditional, unceded, and ancestral Syilx territory upon which we carry out our writing, learning, and publishing activities. While the work of ICER Press begins in the Okanagan Valley, it expands internationally to offer publishing opportunities for those interested in community-engaged research.

 
 
 

Vision

As an Open Access publisher, ICER Press seeks to facilitate the high-quality production and equitable distribution of research and knowledge that contributes to innovative approaches to community engaged scholarship. The Press aims to encourage equity-seeking and capacity-building efforts that benefit community members, students, research partners, and faculty. We do this by accommodating as many formats and creative outputs as possible in order to support innovative and inclusive publishing efforts. By doing this, ICER Press actively works to create a space that recognizes, supports, and makes accessible all forms of research and knowledge. 

We recognize that there are few spaces to publish community engaged and Open Access works.  Within Canada, the landscape of Open Access publishing is influenced by public funders, such as SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR, who require some form of Open Access publishing output from research that has received public funds. In relation to ICER as an entity at UBCO, there is a growing need within community-based research for publishing resources to effectively meet these funding requirements and communicate research findings with the communities and stakeholders involved in all research processes. ICER Press is our solution to opening up equitable publishing for communities, scholars, and the world.

 

Our Approach to Community Engaged Research

Community Engaged Research at ICER Press is understood as the collective and informed collaboration with a community partner that creates meaningful outcomes for the community who willingly participates. Community engaged research brings together local communities and scholars to create meaningful outputs that can be accessed and reached by the community. ICER Press publishes work that emerges from a collaborative research process that fully engages with community partner(s) and knowledge stakeholders across the creation, design, research, and writing process.

In doing so, ICER Press aims to encourage the promotion of cultural expression, social justice, and innovation by supporting the publishing capacities of community engaged research across a range of fields of expertise and facilitating a space for researchers, communities, and knowledge stakeholders to create and distribute outputs based on their collected data and needs.

 
 
 

What Open Access means at ICER Press

 

Open Access takes on many interpretations within contemporary scholarly publishing. At ICER Press, we approach Open Access with care and respect for the diversity of voices and knowledges that make up community engaged research. As the Open Access movement has been adopted across disciplines, many of the best practices have been developed in reference to Open Science and Data frameworks and diverged in accordance to discipline-specific research practices since the 1980s. As the press re-launches in 2023, we define Open Access publishing as the publication and distribution of material, research, and knowledge in a manner that makes the works readily available with no cost to the author or community that is typically associated with traditional publishing processes, such as Author Processing Charges.

Author obligations

ICER Press uses CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Creative Commons license for publications unless author(s) request an exception or additional terms and conditions. While work and materials published under ICER Press are affiliated with the Press, the author and community retains copyright of the intellectual property, materials, and final publication. ICER Press’ open access policy grants the Press the rights to license materials and publications for use and distribution under Creative Commons and Canadian copyright laws. ICER Press, however, is not responsible for monitoring subsequent use and distribution of materials beyond ICER Press.

Authors can request different Creative Commons Licenses depending on the nature of their work. To identify the license that is best suited for your work and to learn more about your rights as an author, please visit the following links:

https://creativecommons.org/choose/

https://labs.creativecommons.org/scholars/

https://sparcopen.org/our-work/author-rights/brochure-html/

 
 
 

Press obligations

Within the research and scholarly landscape of Canada, public funders (such as SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR) require that authors and researchers publish in Open Access formats. In relation to community-engaged research, ICER Press embraces the opportunity for equitable access to information by publishing high quality, ethical, and peer and community-reviewed research free of barriers such as cost and by making it available in various formats. Additionally, in alignment with current Open Access best practices, we integrate Open Peer Review for publications where relevant and appropriate for the works submitted.

ICER PRESS Creative Commons License

All publications with ICER Press will be licensed under the same creative commons license. We balance honouring current open access publishing best practices while also protecting each author's intellectual property and community knowledge. At this time, all publications will go under the attribution, non-commercial, no-derivatives – CC-BY-NC-ND license.

This license is the most restrictive Creative Commons license. It allows for people to download the original work and share it with others. The original creator/author must be credited, and the original work/material cannot be changed or adapted in any way. Additionally, works under this license cannot be used commercially or for monetary gain (Creative Commons Corporation 2021).

Authors can request different Creative Common Licenses depending on the nature and needs of the publication. In order to identify what Creative Commons License best suits your publication, please visit the following links:

https://creativecommons.org/choose/

https://labs.creativecommons.org/scholars/

When you sign a copyright transfer form, you can decide which rights you want to keep, and which you want to give away. Understanding the effect of fully exercising the rights you have as an author can help you make educated choices about the publishing outlets you choose to submit work to.

What readers can do with ICER Publications

Under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, works are free to access immediately from the date of publication once placed on the ICER Press website. Works can be downloaded, redistributed, and shared with others for non-commercial purposes only and with attribution given to the author. The original work and material cannot be changed or adapted in any way. We are dedicated to publishing and distributing a range of formats that support many different approaches to research and knowledge in order to be responsive to the needs of the communities, stakeholders, and researchers who may publish with the Press.

History of the Press

ICER Press is a division of the Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER), an innovative research space based at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus in Kelowna, BC Canada. ICER emerged in 2014 from two pre-existing research centres at UBCO: the Centre for Social, Spatial, and Economic Justice (CSSEJ) by Professor Lawrence Berg and Professor Mike Evans; and the Canadian Centre for Inclusion and Citizenship (CCIC) started by Professor Tim Stainton and Professor Rachelle Hole. Today, ICER brings together interdisciplinary researchers, community partners, and knowledge stakeholders through a collective commitment to community-engaged research that supports equity, diversity, and social justice. ICER is a hub that facilitates the participation of community members, organizations, students, and academics as co-researchers by building relationships, collaborations, and effective knowledge creation and exchange.

The Press developed through a series of consultations and publishing efforts involving university and community participants. The publications from the original CSSEJ Press are present in the current catalog of ICER Press. Additionally, ICER Press did exist in a previous iteration and those publications, too, can be found on this website in the catalog. The idea to revamp the Press came in 2019 a year after Dr. Fiona McDonald joined UBCO. In conversation with Dr. Christine Schreyer (then acting Director of ICER) and Joanne Carey (Research Coordinator), the seedling ideas started the plan to re-launch ICER Press.

Starting in January 2021, Dr. Jon Corbett (ICER Director), Joanne Carey, and Dr. Fiona McDonald mobilized funding from the Vice President of Research and Innovation at UBCO and the UBC Work Study program to hire a team of incredible editorial assistants to become the inaugural editorial office (Renoir Gauvin, Madeleine Lekei, and Hanna Paul) and work with web designer Adam Robinson. The expansive scope of creating an ethical, transparent, Open Access press also required exceptional expertise from across the UBCO campus. Donna Langille (Open Scholarship Librarian), Amanda Brobell (Director, Center for Scholarly Communication), Sandra Fox (Indigenous Community Liaison Officer, Office of Research Services), and Jenica Frisque (Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion).

Best Practices in Indigenous Publishing

ICER Press exists in respect to and in relation with the traditional, unceded, and ancestral Syilx territory. We are honoured to be on these lands as uninvited guests and work to ensure that we reflect the best interests of the Syilx people through consultation with Syilx knowledge keepers and Elders when relevant. We recognize that bringing Open Access publishing and Indigenous knowledges together requires that we carry forward community-led best practices related to Indigenous Knowledge, data governance, licensing protocols, and cultural safety. With this in mind, the Press is committed to decolonization efforts in publishing by engaging authors with OCAP® Principles where appropriate, prioritizing the inclusion of Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and community-led publications, offering the application of Traditional Knowledge Labels, and integrating the The Elements of Indigenous Style by Dr. Gregory Younging.

The Principles of OCAP® are vital in the ethical publication and distribution of First Nations’ knowledge in Canada. OCAP® represents the four pillars of information governance which are Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession. These principles have been developed by the First Nations Information Governance Centre, which concerns itself with the protection of and proper access to First Nations data and knowledge. Through the Information Governance Centre, First Nations communities can access tools to protect and reclaim traditional knowledge under individual and collective intellectual property rights. The Algonquin College provides training on the core frameworks and principles of ethical data protocols and information governance when working with First Nations knowledge. Where appropriate, ICER Press looks to OCAP® to ensure that the publication of First Nations knowledge and research adheres to specific community-led guidelines and best practices.

ICER Press recognizes and honours Traditional Indigenous Knowledge through the integration and application of Traditional Knowledge Labels. The inclusion of Traditional Knowledge can be identified upon submission by authors and community members as well as peer reviewers and the editorial board as the publication is reviewed. Traditional Knowledge Labels can be attached upon submission, through the peer-review process, or in editorial review. The application of a Traditional Knowledge Label must align with the values and wishes of the community, collaborators, and knowledge within the submitted publication.

The Elements of Indigenous Style, authored by Dr. Gregory Younging, is the first comprehensive guide that offers authors, editors, and publishers a cohesive framework for working with and creating works with or about Indigenous Peoples and knowledge. Through 22 core principles, the guide outlines culturally appropriate publishing practices, how to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples, how and when to seek the advice of Elders, how to respect Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, and offers case studies to illustrate these principles and best practices.  It also answers common publishing questions regarding editing style, terminology, biased language, and capitalization. ICER Press draws on The Elements of Indigenous Style and Dr. Younging’s work in our approach to Indigenous Publishing.

Diversity and Inclusion at ICER Press

In re-designing ICER Press, we have looked to the foundational work in open access and scholarly publishing carried out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) who collaboratively developed the Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing framework.

ICER Press aligns itself in relation to social justice, decolonization, diversity, equity, and inclusion actions. At the heart of our work is a deep commitment to transparency in the publishing process and to stewarding the best practices for open access publishing. We acknowledge that equity is complicated and we are committed to overcoming power imbalances in publishing on a daily basis in our office, policies, and the work we publish. This is evidenced in the diversity of works the press has and continues to publish to ensure a broad inclusion of voices, perspectives, experiences, and formats related to community-engaged research. We hold a firm belief in letting the work speak for itself through inclusive bibliographies, offering opportunities for open peer review, supporting a breadth of formats that hold ranging cultural values, and ensuring authors work comes in various accessible formats. Publishing in an ever changing landscape requires us to continue to be active in reviewing our vision, values, and policies annually. Added to this, we see inclusion as providing readily available access to knowledge and material that is free of barriers (such as cost) associated with mainstream forms of publishing and distributing information.

​​To ensure that these commitments are upheld by ICER Press, we have developed actionable commitments below. We will have progress points on each of the commitments to be as transparent as possible in our publishing process. In a world of ever-changing factors, we will commit to revisiting the needs of our community and the communities we work with and ensure this statement and subsequent actions will be updated appropriately.  

Commitments to Equity

 

Commitment One

We are committed to ensuring authors provide either community approval or evidence of participation in the research and the literature/work that represents the respective community. We are committed to recognizing and creating space for independent scholars who are engaged in ethical community-based research, which are consistent with principles concerning community collaboration. We expect that submissions show, either in the submitted publication or directly from the community in question, a high quality of collaboration, co-creation, and participation with the community. Authors must demonstrate evidence of fulsome community consultation and involvement across the entirety of the research and publishing process. For example, this can be manifested as a community letter that confirms that the community has been properly consulted, that the community is actively engaged with the project, and that the community approves of and has been involved in the work being published.

  • This is important because it keeps authors and researchers accountable to the community partner and organizations involved within the publication submission. Further, Indigenous and marginalized communities have experienced researchers treating members as informants instead of equal partners and owners of the data and knowledge they share. This is extractive and must be avoided. And while we recognize that communities that exist in digital landscapes provide different challenges and will ask authors to share evidence of their ethical research approval.

Commitment Two

We are committed through our editorial and peer review process to ensure authors have inclusive bibliographies that represent a range of voices and perspectives. 

  • Authors are encouraged to include multiple voices and perspectives that represent works by authors and makers with intersectional identities, including but not limited to Indigenous, Black, People of Colour (IBPOC), Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (or Questioning), Intersex, Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+), disability, and marginalized bodies. While authors may need to draw on and cite their previously published work, it is recommended that they do so in moderation, in relationship to, and with the voices of others.

Commitment Three

We are committed to fostering a publishing environment that offers a sustained, transparent, open, and community peer review process.

  • Supports and respects communities

  • Traditional Knowledge labels

  • Offering authors agency in licensing options