Palgrave Communications – connecting research in the humanities, social sciences and business

Abstract

ere we introduce the first edition of Palgrave Communications, a high-quality peer-reviewed open access journal for research in all areas of the humanities, the social sciences (HSS) and business. The scope of the journal, the first multidisciplinary title from Palgrave Macmillan, reflects the publisher's strengths in these areas. In addition to our multidisciplinary position, Palgrave Communications particularly welcomes interdisciplinary research, which fosters interaction, creativity and reflection between disciplines. Palgrave Communications aspires to be the definitive peer-reviewed outlet for open access academic research in and between our subjects. We discuss the need for a journal like Palgrave Communications in academic research, our editorial standards, our aims and scope, and present the journal's first articles. Championing interdisciplinary research Global problems do not come in neat packages: the stresses of transnational migrations present questions for international lawyers, transport experts and conflict analysts alike, and the impacts of water scarcity equally call on civil engineers, anthropologists and natural hazard specialists. The disciplinary boundaries that are cemented in the academic world are regularly questioned by the "real world". While not necessarily antidisciplinary, interdisciplinary research is today crucial in helping to solve global social, environmental and economic problems. Yet traditional academic research assessment practices can incentivize approaches to research that lack the interdisciplinary flexibility to engage with challenges like migration, water scarcity and many others. This is exemplified, for instance, by the common placing of greater values and attentions on publications in discipline-specific journals or on particular orders of authorship on a paper, rather than a paper's content and realworld value of its arguments. Nevertheless, the orientation of some research might be changing. There are today many emerging examples of interdisciplinary research.

A new sustainability model for measuring changes in power and access in global commodity chains: through a smallholder lens

“…The purpose of this article is to expand disciplinary boundaries and communicate integrated elements of the social sciences and humanities to wider audiences in order to address global challenges and drive social change (Hrynaszkiewicz and Acuto, 2015). Drawing on the strengths of its design, the work uses information and data visualisation to communicate diversity in the way market actors, and beyond, understand and measure changes in power and access in global commodity chains (Escobar, 2018).…”

open access journals: a sustainable and scalable solution in social and political sciences?

“…(Hrynaszkiewicz and Acuto, 2015), including a contribution from the political sciences (Shaw, 2015). In the journal, peer reviewers are asked to consider not just whether methods used were sound but also that strong evidence is provided for the conclusions, whether the results are novel, and whether the manuscript is important to specific fields and/or is important in interdisciplinary terms (http://www.palgravejournals.com/palcomms/referees).…”

What is robotics made of? The interdisciplinary politics of robotics research

“…Interdisciplinary robotics is twice implicated in these politics and choices. First, in how interdisciplinary modes are so often championed in addressing grand challenges (Hrynaszkiewicz and Acuto, 2015). As robots, autonomous systems and underlying infrastructures are integrated into the fabric of social worlds, they require a wider range of actors to engage with them (Goulden et al, 2017).…”