Open access journals can be an important part of connecting the academic world with the rest of society. These connections are important in many fields including my area of study international relations. The journal I found was E-IR ( E- International Relations). They call themselves “the world’s leading open access website for students and scholars of international politics”.
I was familiar with this resource before the assignment. I use it when I’m looking for ideas in international politics or if I need a very basic overview of an issue to refresh my memory. Because it is aimed at reaching students and individuals who may not have a lot of literacy in this discipline, the articles are written simply without the abundance of acronyms often found in IR literature.
The journal is based out of Bristol, UK and is staffed with a largely volunteer staff made up of academics, international relations practitioners, and some students. Dr. Stephen McGlinchey the Editor-in-Chief of the journal is a senior lecturer in IR at the University of the West of England, Bristol. The journal writes about current events and politics shaping the world today, but it also includes some articles about IR in general to help readers better understand the events they’re reading about. I think that these articles and open access journals in general, fill an important gap. Too often academic research is just reported to the same small community, they are yelling into an echo chamber. These types or resources can help give relevance and influence to research by connecting it to the general public.