About Bielefeld University Press

What We Stand For

At BiUP, we combine the highest academic standards with a modern understanding of publishing. Every submission undergoes a multi-stage, independent peer-review process that meets the highest requirements of quality, transparency, and objectivity. Our consistent open-access approach guarantees that research is freely accessible worldwide, permanently findable, and citable – without access barriers, without paywall.

Our innovative formats, such as Micro Monographs, Living Volumes, and Growing Books, enable flexible, project-oriented publications that are tailored to the requirements of current research – whether compact, modular, or dynamically extendable. In doing so, we rely on sustainable production processes: We operate our hosting and publication infrastructure in a CO₂-neutral manner, and print editions are produced resource-efficiently via print-on-demand.

We do not regard academic publishing as the final step but as an integral part of the research process – open to new formats, early visibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

What We Offer

As a reliable partner in the publication process, BiUP supports you from the first concept idea to the international visibility of your research. We coordinate the peer review, provide editorial and technical support for manuscripts, and ensure quality-assured open-access publication in all relevant repositories and platforms.

We tailor our publication formats precisely to your content and project goals – whether in the form of compact Micro Monographs, modularly structured Growing Books, or continuously expandable Living Volumes. For research groups and consortia, we jointly develop customized publication strategies, including scheduling, format selection, and coordination with partner institutions.

BiUP offers you the entire publication process from a single source – flexible, professional, and tailored to your needs. In addition, we support the visibility of your publication through targeted communication measures: from press releases to social media campaigns to the organization of events in analog and digital formats. Our offer is complemented by graphic and design services that present your research convincingly on a visual level as well – from book covers to event graphics.

Open Access Statement

Scientific publishing is undergoing change, and Bielefeld University Press (BiUP) is actively shaping this transformation.
As a university-based open access publisher and part of Bielefeld University, our goal is to develop innovative forms of scholarly publishing while maintaining the highest quality standards and established practices of academic dissemination.
We publish all works consistently according to the Gold Open Access model — freely accessible, under an open license (e.g., CC BY), and in compliance with the highest scientific standards.
In this way, research becomes freely available worldwide, permanently discoverable, and sustainably citable — without access restrictions, without paywalls.
Through this approach, we promote the free exchange of knowledge across disciplinary, institutional, and geographical boundaries. BiUP enhances the visibility of research — not only within the scientific community but also in society at large.
Our understanding of science communication is clear: science is a public good that depends on participation, transparency, and international networking. Therefore, Bielefeld University Press is committed to an open culture of scholarship that fosters exchange and collaboration.
In the long term, we are dedicated to advancing Diamond Open Access — a fair and sustainable publishing model that makes publications freely accessible for both authors and readers.
In doing so, we actively help shape the transformation of academic publishing and set a clear example for open, equitable, and future-oriented research.

Publishing with BiUP

At BiUP, the individual support of our authors is at the center of our work: Every publication is carefully planned and aligned precisely with your academic requirements and institutional specifications.

Our approach is based on customized solutions that optimally showcase your research – whether in compact Micro Monographs, dynamic Living Volumes, or classic monographs. With our broad format portfolio and the close coordination of all work steps, we ensure a smooth process from manuscript submission to the final publication. In addition, we offer consistent quality assurance, aesthetically sophisticated layouts, up-to-date preparation of metadata, and targeted visibility through our digital networks and social media channels.

We would be happy to work with you to develop a publication strategy that takes into account your individual goals and framework conditions. Please contact us for a personal conversation – we look forward to realizing your projects.

Editorial Process

Bielefeld University Press stands, among other things, for integrity and responsibility in academic publishing. Quality assurance for our publications forms a central foundation of our publishing work – and at the same time, it is a field of active development.
In an era of growing complexity, accelerated publication processes, and new technological challenges, we are rethinking quality assurance: transparent, differentiated, and future-oriented.

Differentiated Peer Review Procedures – Tailored to Each Format

BiUP consistently relies on peer review procedures for quality assurance – adapted to the specific publication format. Traditional monographs generally undergo single-blind review by external subject experts. At the same time, we are developing new, format-specific models:

· Open Peer Review: suitable for participatory publication formats

·  Post-Publication Review: appropriate for dynamic and ongoing publications (e.g., Living Volumes)

·  Collaborative Review Processes: enable structured dialogue between authors and reviewers – particularly valuable in interdisciplinary contexts or with innovative formats

For Transparency, Fairness, and Accountability

We are aware of current discussions surrounding bias, reproducibility, and discriminatory structures in the review process. Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

·  Transparency in our evaluation procedures

·  Clear and traceable criteria for reviews

·  Fairness through diversity in the selection of reviewers

·  Protection against distortion through AI influences (e.g., hidden prompting or generative suggestions)

We are actively developing tools and standards that safeguard against discriminatory bias effects, uncritical automation, and the spread of false scientific content – both from a technical and ethical perspective.

Science Against Disinformation

As a university-based scholarly publisher, we view it as our duty to take a clear stand against the spread of fake news, scientific distortion, and ideologically biased misinformation – especially in times when AI-generated content is increasingly shaping information spaces.
BiUP stands for verified scientific facts, transparent reasoning, and a pluralistic culture of scholarship.

Contact

Steering Committee

  • Prof. Dr. Reinhold Decker

    • Prorector for Information Infrastructure and Business, Bielefeld University

    • Professorship in Business Administration, especially Marketing

  • Barbara Knorn

    • Chief Library Director, Bielefeld University

  • Prof. Dr. Kirsten Kramer

    • Professorship in Comparative Literature/Romance Studies, Bielefeld University

  • Dirk Pieper

    • Permanent Representative of the Chief Library Director, Bielefeld University

  • Silke Schwandt

    • Professorship in Digital History and Medieval History, Bielefeld University

  • Prof. Dr. Birte Förster

    • Professorship in 19th and 20th Century History, Bielefeld University

  • Sabrina Diab-Helmer

    • Managing Director Bielefeld University Press

Editorial Board

  • Prof. Demetrius L. Eudell

    • Vice President of Academic Affairs The Copper Union

  • Prof. Dr. Mathias Albert

    • Professorship in Political Science
      Bielefeld University

  • Prof. Dr. Kayvan Bozorgmehr (MSc)

    • Head of Research Group 2 Population Medicine and Health Services Research

    • Faculty of Health Sciences, Bielefeld University

  • Prof. Dr. Johannes Grave

    • Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize Winner 2020

    • Professorship in Modern Art History, Friedrich Schiller University Jena

  • Prof. Dr. Florian Muhle

    • Chair of Communication Studies,
      Focus on Digital Communication

    • Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Zeppelin University

  • Dr. Britta Padberg

    • Managing Director THE NEW INSTITUTE, Hamburg

  • Prof. Dr. Carsten Reinhardt

    • Spokesperson of the Advisory Board of the Leopoldina Center for Science Studies

    • Professorship in Historical Studies of Science, Bielefeld University