Services to Publications

Governance

Services to Publications

Mutual Responsibilities and Annual Commitment Framework

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Contents of this page:

• Services to Publications
  • Production and Publication Management
  • Infrastructure and Preservation
  • Metadata, Indexing, and Dissemination
  • Contributor and Editorial Support
  • Community and Sector Engagement
  • Governance, Records, and Reporting
• Mutual Responsibilities and Annual Commitment Framework
  • Annual Renewal of Commitment
  • Expectations of Active Participation
  • Publication Output and Momentum

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Services to Publications

ProgHist Ltd (publisher of Programming Historian’s journals) is a charity registered in England and Wales and a not-for-profit company. It employs a Publishing Manager who leads the administration, production, and strategic development of publishing, educational, partnership, and outreach activities for ProgHist Ltd.

The publisher provides provides operational, infrastructural, and community support to ensure that all publications are sustainable, discoverable, accessible, and aligned with best practice in open scholarly communication.

Services are delivered across the following areas:

1. Production and Publication Management
2. Infrastructure and Preservation
3. Metadata, Indexing, and Dissemination
4. Contributor and Editorial Support
5. Community and Sector Engagement
6. Governance, Records, and Reporting

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1. Production and Publication Management

We facilitate the progression of submissions through editorial and peer review workflows and coordinate final production processes.

This includes:

• Developing, documenting, and maintaining best-practice editorial workflows (including use of GitHub Projects for Active Lessons).
• Processing submissions and preparing lesson previews to support editorial and open peer review phases.
• Coordinating pre-publication sustainability and accessibility checks, including:
  • Copyediting
  • Typesetting
  • Creation and management of archival hyperlinks (via perma.cc)
  • Supporting production of alt-text for all figures and graphs
  • Ensuring code blocks and tabular data are provided in raw, reusable formats
  • Collating copyright agreements to ensure publication under the CC-BY licence.
  • Assigning DOIs to all published lessons (with administrative support from the University of Sussex Library) to ensure persistent access.
  • Coordinating post-publication lesson maintenance.

2. Infrastructure and Preservation

We maintain a fit-for-purpose publishing infrastructure to ensure reliability, security, and long-term preservation.

This includes:

• Maintaining and documenting the technical infrastructure supporting publication workflows.
• Managing secure password systems and access controls.
• Maintaining and updating the GitHub Wiki as a central operational knowledge base.
• Annual deposit of the GitHub repository to Zenodo to support long-term preservation and citability.
• Ensuring archival link stability through perma.cc.
• Monitoring and adapting infrastructure in response to evolving needs, standards, and capacity.

3. Metadata, Indexing, and Dissemination

We support discoverability, visibility, and sector alignment through structured metadata management and communications.

This includes:

• Supplying and maintaining accurate metadata with indexing and aggregation services, including Directory of Open Access Journals, to ensure resources can be searched and discovered.
• Monitoring compliance with indexing requirements and open access standards.
• Maintaining records of key journal statistics (e.g., number of contributors, annual publication outputs).
• Producing and distributing communications materials across social media platforms.
• Publishing a quarterly newsletter (Bulletin // Boletín // Bulletin // Boletim) to circulate recent publications, research highlights, and project updates.

4. Contributor and Editorial Support

We provide administrative, practical, and developmental support to editorial teams and the wider contributor community.

Project Team and Editorial Members

• Supporting recruitment and advertisement of new editorial members.
• Coordinating orientation and ongoing training.
• Maintaining member profiles, a Membership History list, and the official Register of Members.
• Documenting and promoting members’ research and related academic activities.
• Managing internal communication platforms.

Outside Collaborators

• Coordinating and promoting annual open calls for proposals.
• Managing peer reviewer recruitment via a structured reviewer pool.
• Providing template communications for editorial use.
• Supplying guidelines and support for authors, translators, reviewers, copyeditors, and lesson maintainers.
• Upholding and promoting shared values of open scholarly communication through the Code of Conduct and facilitating access to independent ombudspersons.

5. Community and Sector Engagement

We support the growth and visibility of the publications through external engagement and relationship-building.

This includes:

• Representing ProgHist Ltd at workshops, invited talks, and conferences.
• Maintaining and updating information packs and template communications.
• Supporting initiatives that strengthen contributor and reader communities.

6. Governance, Records, and Reporting

We maintain organisational continuity, transparency, and accountability.

This includes:

• Creating and archiving minutes for meetings of the Board of Trustees, and Annual General Meetings.
• Maintaining internal documentation and adaptable templates.
• Recording and reporting key operational data.
• Managing dashboards relating to supporters and membership renewals.
• Coordinating administrative aspects of annual membership renewals in collaboration with the Finance Manager.

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Mutual Responsibilities and Annual Commitment Framework

In order to sustain high-quality, open access publications, the relationship between the ProgHist Ltd and each Publication is grounded in shared responsibility, transparency, and active participation.

ProgHist Ltd commits to providing the services outlined above. In turn, editorial teams commit to maintaining active engagement and contributing to agreed publication goals.

1. Annual Renewal of Commitment

Each year, editorial team members are invited to confirm their continued participation for the coming 12 months.

This process is intended to:

• Encourage honest reflection on capacity and availability.
• Ensure workloads are sustainable.
• Create space for new contributors where needed.
• Maintain clarity about roles and expectations.

Editors who anticipate reduced availability are encouraged to communicate this early so that responsibilities can be redistributed appropriately.

2. Expectations of Active Participation

'Active participation' is understood to include:

• Responding to editorial or operational communications within a reasonable timeframe (e.g. within 7 working days, where possible).
• Progressing assigned tasks within agreed timelines.
• Communicating promptly if delays arise.
• Contributing to discussions and decision-making processes relevant to their role.
• Supporting the peer review and publication pipeline in line with agreed workflows.
• Supporting outreach and communications efforts by amplifying journal messages through personal and professional networks (e.g. via social media platforms where they are active).
• Contributing to the Lesson Maintenance programme by assisting with the review, updating, and resolution of issues in published lessons as needed.

The aim is not rigid enforcement, but maintaining momentum and fairness across volunteer teams.

3. Publication Output and Momentum

To ensure sustainability, visibility, and credibility, each publication works toward an agreed annual output target [to be determined in consultation with Managing Editors and Trustees].

This target is intended to:

• Sustain active engagement within editorial teams.
• Ensure efficient use of publishing infrastructure and support services.
• Maintain eligibility for indexing and aggregation services.
• Demonstrate vitality and impact to supporters and institutional partners.

The Publisher supports editorial teams by:

• Maintaining clear production timelines.
• Monitoring workflow progression.
• Identifying bottlenecks early.
• Providing guidance on realistic scheduling.

Publication targets are reviewed annually and adjusted in line with capacity and strategic priorities.