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Sage College DEI - Beyond the Canon

From the Editor's Desk page

Beyond the Canon

The Role of Contributors in Edited Volumes* 

By Anna Villarruel, Acquisitions Editor for CQ Press
March 2024

image of diverse editors' hands writing together

Believe it or not, textbooks are not always the answer in Political Science classrooms! For some upper-division courses, edited volumes are incredibly popular with instructors because they bring together leading and emerging scholars to focus on a common theme.

As an Acquisitions Editor, it’s my job to ensure that our volume editors are producing an edition that will make an impact on the field. A strong volume will balance the desire to bring on the big names while surprising readers with more cutting-edge research. Our editors have been doing this for years, but now we’re building on that work by bringing in diverse contributors or selections. This is not merely a response to the zeitgeist of our times; it is an acknowledgement of the intrinsic value that diverse perspectives bring to their disciplines.

In conjunction with several of our volume editors—who curate existing articles, invite scholars to contribute new articles, or both—we have developed some best practices to help bring diverse voices to the fore. A huge shoutout goes to the following editors, who are currently wrapping up their work on three well-respected volumes. They do the work of recruiting contributors, editing their drafts, and liaising with SAGE/CQ Press during the publishing process. 

 

Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis, 12th Edition

Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 8th Edition

Congress Reconsidered, 13th Edition

Thad Kousser, University of California San Diego

Steven S. Smith, Arizona State University

Bruce I. Oppenheimer, Vanderbilt University

Jamila Michener, Cornell University

 

C. Lawrence Evans, College of William and Mary

Caroline Tolbert, University of Iowa

 

Ruth Bloch Rubin, University of Chicago

 

These best practices for volume editors are as much theirs as they are ours! 
 

  1. Establish clear demographic goals. Define the specific demographic goals for your volume, including representing different racial, ethnic, gender, and ideological perspectives. Not sure where to start? See if your professional association has membership statistics readily available—it’s a great way to set an appropriate benchmark for your book.
  2. Create a diverse editorial team. We rely on you to actively nurture and grow your network since you need to commission new pieces with every edition. If your volume is well-established, consider bringing on a new volume editor to expand your reach, tap into younger scholars, or dig into programs where you haven’t been able to get your foot in the door. Your publisher can look at existing adopters as likely candidates, or you could put out a few feelers within your network.
  3. Outreach to underrepresented communities. This step can’t be skipped! Actively reach out to underrepresented communities, scholars, and experts as you begin to identify potential contributors. Use various channels, like academic networks, conferences, and social media to find scholars that are outside your network. Your Acquisitions Editor can also be a big help in identifying where to find people.
  4. Nurture professional opportunities. As you develop your list of possible contributors or articles, ask yourself: Who is in conversation with whom? Look for opportunities to put senior scholars in dialogue with junior scholars, or even pair them together to work on a piece. Publishing in an edited volume can be a great professional opportunity already, but giving younger academics the chance to work alongside someone whose work they admire could also help create relationships that endure well after a book has published.
  5. Recognize, credit, and pay contributors. Talk with your Acquisitions Editor about ways to acknowledge and credit everyone’s work within and outside the volume. Does your book have a section for contributor bios? Will their names be listed on the first page of their chapters and on the publisher’s website? Is the contributor budget for the volume appropriate? These are tangible things that make a difference post-publication.

With these best practices in mind, our volume editors went to work. For both Politics in the American States and Congress Reconsidered, existing editors brought on new members to their teams to play a key role in shaping the new editions, while Steve Smith ensured he wasn’t just pulling selections from the traditional canon. When done right, edited volumes can make the publication process (and the people involved) more visible and accessible to all scholars.

*Published 3/24. © 2024 Sage Publishing. All rights reserved. All other brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.