Open minds and closed systems: an author profile of South Africa’s university presses

Abstract

The selection of authors for publication is a gatekeeping function. While in the case of academic journals the gatekeeper is usually identified with the editor and the editorial board, books are usually selected by the publishing house that will produce and disseminate them. This article aims to provide an overview of author selection at South Africa’s most prominent scholarly publishers, its university presses, through a case study of the author profiles of Wits, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal), Unisa and Cape Town. This profile is an attempt to provide basic data to underpin perceptions of discrimination in the selection of books for publication. The author profile of the university presses shows some change over time, towards greater diversity in terms of both race and gender. But women and black authors – and black women authors especially – remain under-represented.

Keywords:

• author profiles
• gatekeeping
• peer review
• self-censorship
• university presses

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth le Roux

Dr. Elizabeth le Roux is a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of Publishing Studies in the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria.