The European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) seeks a publisher to publish, distribute and promote its journal, the European Journal of Archaeology (EJA). The target date for the finalization of the selection process and contract is 15 March 2022 with the commencement of the new arrangements to occur in time for the new publisher to publish EJA 26.1 by 1 February 2023. Proposals are sought specifically for digital-only publication, but options for continued print publication will be considered.

PROPOSALS/EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST DUE BY 31 JANUARY 2022

Please email all correspondence to administrator@e-a-a.org

DESCRIPTION OF JOURNAL

The European Journal of Archaeology is the main publication of the European Association of Archaeologists – the only continental-wide organisation promoting the interests of archaeologists.

The EJA was published as the Journal of European Archaeology (vols 1-5) by Cruithne Press from 1993 to 1996, then by SAGE in 1997, and as the EJA by SAGE between 1998 and 2010, including online from 2000, followed by the EAA in 2011. Maney published EJA from 2012-2015, when it was acquired by Taylor and Francis who published EJA in 2016. It has been published by Cambridge University Press since 2017. The European Association of Archaeologists is owner of the title.

The EJA seeks to promote open debate and the highest quality scholarship into the archaeology and heritage of Europe, broadly conceived. The journal publishes all periods, from the deepest past up to the present day; all sub-disciplines, including archaeological science and heritage studies; and is geographically and methodologically diverse. EJA occasionally publishes special themed issues or multi-authored Forums. These usually originated as sessions at the annual EAA conference and are overseen by one of the editors and/or an editorial board member. Alongside new research, each issue includes a number of scholarly reviews of archaeological books and other media commissioned by the journal’s reviews editors. All material in EJA—editorials, research articles, Forums, and reviews—is published with a DOI.

The EJA is produced by an Editorial Board. The Editorial Board consists of the General Editor, Deputy Editor, Reviews Editor, Assistant Reviews Editor and the Ordinary Editorial Board Members. The Editors are appointed by the EAA’s Executive Board after advertisement.  Editors are appointed for a term of three years, renewable without limit. The Editorial Board, chaired by the General Editor, meets once a year before the Annual Meeting of the EAA. The EAA has an advisory board comprising senior academics, professional archaeologists, and former editors. Since 2019, the journal and its editorial team have operated within the framework of the EJA Publication Ethics Policy: https://www.e-a-a.org/EAACodes#EJAethics .

EJA currently publishes four print issues per year, each of which typically includes five or six peer-reviewed research articles and ca. seven scholarly reviews and a short editorial. All articles are published digitally as soon as proofs are approved, currently these are hosted on the “First View” page on EJA’s Cambridge University Press platform.

With CUP, the journal has been working to be Plan S compliant and is currently published as a hybrid journal under a Plan-S-approved “transformational agreement”. Articles are published under a license to publish model, and open access publication is welcome. Nine research articles were published Gold Open Access since 1 Aug 2020. This represents just over 25 per cent of the 34 total Gold OA articles the EJA has published to date. This is also 47 per cent of the 19 articles published online since 1 August 2020. The EAA executive board feels strongly that Open Research is a key value both the society and journal should encourage and embody and ideally the journal should be 100% Open Access.

The EJA is a highly regarded journal that publishes research of international significance. The 2021 Google Scholar ranking places it 18th amongst all archaeology journals based on citations since 2016. Scimago Journal Rank places it 16th amongst all archaeology journals based on citations since 2018.

Our aims for the future of the journal are to maintain and enhance the high quality and excellent reputation of research published in the journal; to continue to attract a diverse author-base, including students, professionals and researchers in all sub-disciplines of European archaeology; and to do so while promoting best practice and Open Research principles. We are open to moving to digital-only publication to promote sustainability and ease the transition to open publishing, but would like options for EAA Members who wish to retain a print subscription.

Subscription price categories for institutional subscription

DESCRIPTION OF ORGANISATION

The EAA is a membership-based association open to all archaeologists and other related or interested individuals or bodies. The EAA currently has over fifteen thousand members on its database from 70 countries world-wide working in prehistory, classical, medieval and later archaeology. They include academics, aerial archaeologists, environmental archaeologists, field archaeologists, heritage managers, historians, museum curators, researchers, scientists, teachers, conservators, underwater archaeologists, and students of archaeology.

The aims of the EAA are: 1) to promote the development of archaeological research and the exchange of archaeological information; 2) to promote the management and interpretation of the European archaeological heritage; 3) to promote proper ethical and scientific standards for archaeological work; 4) to promote the interests of professional archaeologists in Europe; 5) to promote archaeology to the public, and to raise awareness of archaeology in Europe; 6) to promote co-operation with other organisations with similar aims; 7) to promote interest in archaeological remains as evidence of the human past and contributing to our knowledge of human culture and to discourage a focus upon any commercial value that may attach to such material; 8) to work for the elimination of any form of illegal detection and collection and the damage it causes to the archaeological heritage.

The EAA 2021-2024 Strategic Plan (https://www.e-a-a.org/StrategicPlan) highlights the financial stability, increase in member services, and high profile of the EAA, and sign-posts future work to maintain and enhance these, including increasing accessibility through supporting Open Access publishing.

Membership figures

EAA membership has grown steadily since the foundation of the Association in 1993. The EAA has seen a dynamic increase in membership numbers since 2014, including in the Covid-19 years (2020-21) when the Annual Meetings were held virtually.

Chart 1: Number of EAA Members 1993 – 2021 (as of 22 July 2021).

Membership categories

EAA membership is per calendar year and is based on the Member’s country of residence: Members from economically less advanced countries are eligible for discounted rates (B category). Discounted membership fees also apply to students (including PhD students) and retired archaeologists (including retirement for medical reasons).

Organisations and institutions that undertake to make annual financial contributions to the work of the Association can become Corporate Members.

Membership prices

VALUES TO BE REFLECTED IN PUBLISHING OF THE JOURNAL

Openness, meaning an emphasis on open access publishing guided by best practice in open research. This must include accessibility to authors from diverse economic and national backgrounds, including ECRs, professional archaeologists and the precariously employed who cannot afford the APCs currently charged by most publishers of hybrid journals. The journal should be Plan S compliant in practice as well as in principle.

Sustainability, both in terms of putting the EAA and EJA in the best position to thrive, even in turbulent times, and with regard to the environmental impact of publishing and distributing the journal.

Quality, including a commitment to the continued production of an academic journal of the highest quality, for the benefit of EAA members, authors, and the wider archaeological and academic community.

Communication and collaboration, including discussion and agreement of the Editorial Board of any changes to the Journal, and complete financial transparency.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE

In the future, the EAA wishes:

• To retain 100 per cent ownership of the EJA;
• To maintain the quality of the journal through a period of major transformation in the wider publishing ecosystem which may entail a move to digital-only publication. This should include high quality text editing and proof reading; rapid production; little or no advertising in the EJA;
• To move to an Open Publishing model that is consistent with Plan S but accessible to authors of all backgrounds. This must include all research outputs, but may also include commissioned material, i.e. Reviews. Flexible, low or no APCs are preferred, but financial modelling will be required to assess the feasibility of this;
• To reduce print and postage costs, perhaps through a move to digital-only publication, although options for Members who would like a print version would be welcome. Models and costs for these will be necessary;
• To continue publishing four issues/annum or equivalent in electronic-only model;
• To have a marketing and design refresh: Our current colours and format are striking, but after 5 years with this design it is time for a shift in appearance to make the journal pop;
• To sign publishing agreements/contracts drawn up clearly, concisely and in the mutual interest of both parties.

  SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

• Strategic planning of the Journal, via the General Editor, EAA Editorial and Advisory Boards, and the Executive Board of the EAA;
• Staffing: General Editor, Deputy Editor, Reviews Editor, Assistant Reviews Editor, Language Editor, Editorial Board, etc. (note: it is the sole responsibility of the EAA to appoint suitably qualified persons to these posts);
• 2000–3000 subscribing Members annually;
• Soliciting, peer reviewing, and editing of high quality academic articles;
• Scientific and language editing;
• Article summaries in English, German and French (and other languages, where appropriate).

  SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER

• High quality publication of the Journal, including a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for each article published electronically in the Journal;
• Secure and easy online access to the electronic version of the journal for all subscribing Members and institutions;
• Provision of data to appropriate digital platforms for continued indexing of the Journal;
• Online publication of all back issues of the EJA and its predecessor JEA, with a link to EAA members via the EAA’s webpage;
• High quality copy-editing and proof checking;
• Hosting support for supplementary material across a range of media;
• Provision of and technical support for a standard online submissions and article management platform. Currently the Journal uses Editorial Manager without complaint, though we are open to suggestions for improvements or changes;
• Institutional support/advice for editors when faced with complex ethical or publication issues;
• An annual Editorial stipend (with rises in line with inflation), which is passed to the General Editor and Deputy Editor (the stipend is currently € 5000 per annum);
• Reduced-price copies of the Journal for members of the Association from Category B countries;
• Free online access to the Journal for EAA Members;
• Free offprints of articles in pdf format to contributing authors;
• Marketing of the Journal, including a conference stand/poster at the EAA Annual Meeting;
• In-person presentation of a tailor-made annual report and recommendations on the on the EJA at the Editorial Board meeting, held at the same time/European venue as the EAA Annual Meeting;
• Financial transparency and full, timely and accurate accounting (including provision of a full financial report annually, with a list of institutional subscribers, electronic and print if relevant, and related sales and licensing data, to the Executive Board of the EAA);
• Reasonable and stable pricing (i.e. prices not necessarily linked to the retail price index).

PROPOSALS MUST ADDRESS THESE ISSUES:

• Why you want to publish the EJA;
• Journal publication quality;
• Editorial support;
• Costings/business model(s) (including reasonable pricing, costs to the EAA, royalties/revenue sharing, editorial stipend, distribution, etc.), including clear financial modelling regarding sustainability of the journal, particularly in an OA-only model;
• Marketing to include conference presence (EAA and other), social media and other online activity;
• Contractual arrangements (including initial period of agreement) - an example of the publisher's proposed form of contract should be provided;
• Copyright and permissions management;
• Clear plan to maintain and enhance EJA’s high profile even through a disruptive period, ie potential switch to OA and online-only;
• Why the EAA should choose you as our publisher;
• We would also welcome a chance to look at samples of your existing journals.

These should be sent to: administrator@e-a-a.org

SELECTION CRITERIA

Indicative selection criteria are:

• Society journal publishing experience;
• Archaeology journal publishing experience and quality;
• Experience of Plan S-compliant Open Access publishing;
• On-line journal platform and provision;
• International distribution;
• Effective marketing;
• Perceived reputation;
• Financial sustainability;
• Accessibility to diverse authors.