NEW HORIZON PRESS LIMITED (New Horizon Press), an independent open-access scholarly publisher based in Hong Kong, has formally adopted the Joint Statement of Principles of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC) . This commitment marks an important step in the publisher's efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) across academic publishing.
C4DISC is an international coalition dedicated to creating a more equitable and welcoming scholarly communications community. Its members and partners include leading academic publishers, professional associations, and research organizations. Through shared principles and collaborative initiatives, the coalition works to remove barriers to participation and ensure that people from different backgrounds have equal opportunities to contribute to scholarly publishing.
By adopting the Joint Statement of Principles, New Horizon Press publicly commits to fostering a fair, respectful, and inclusive publishing environment for authors, editors, reviewers, readers, and publishing professionals worldwide.
The principles emphasize eliminating discrimination, respecting diverse cultures and experiences, encouraging broader participation in decision-making, and improving career opportunities for underrepresented groups. They also encourage organizations to develop policies that support equity and accessibility throughout scholarly communications.
"As a young open-access publisher based in Hong Kong, we serve authors, editors and reviewers from many countries and backgrounds. Adopting the C4DISC Joint Statement of Principles is a public commitment to treating every contributor fairly and respectfully, and to keeping our publishing environment open to all," said New Horizon Press. "We look forward to joining C4DISC as a partner and learning from colleagues around the world."
The initiative also highlights the growing importance of international participation in efforts to make academic publishing more inclusive.
C4DISC brings together organizations such as ACS Publications, Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, PLOS, Crossref, and Oxford University Press. Its activities provide opportunities for publishers and scholarly organizations to exchange experiences, share practical resources, and strengthen inclusive practices.
New Horizon Press's participation will bring an additional Hong Kong-based perspective to these international discussions. It also reflects the publisher's commitment to supporting a scholarly community that values different cultural backgrounds, professional experiences, and research perspectives.
Following its adoption of the Statement, New Horizon Press plans to apply to become an official C4DISC partner . The publisher also intends to participate in community meetings, join discussions within the DEIA Community of Practice, and explore resources such as the Toolkits for Equity.
These activities are expected to inform ongoing improvements in the publisher's editorial and workplace practices, including efforts to encourage broader participation, strengthen accessibility, and maintain fair treatment throughout the publication process.
For New Horizon Press, adopting the C4DISC principles represents more than a statement of support. It provides a foundation for continued learning, collaboration, and practical action toward a more inclusive scholarly publishing system.
NEW HORIZON PRESS LIMITED is an independent scholarly publisher registered in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to fully open-access, peer-reviewed academic publishing across environmental science, agriculture, energy, carbon science, biomass, sustainable materials, and artificial intelligence.
Its journal portfolio includes Artificial Intelligence & Environment and Lignin Research , as well as Biochar and Carbon Research in collaboration with Springer Nature. The publisher is committed to editorial independence, research integrity, accessibility, and inclusive scholarly communication.
Website: https://www.the-newpress.com
The Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC) is an international initiative established to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout scholarly communications. The coalition works with publishers, professional associations, and other stakeholders to support a more equitable and welcoming academic publishing community.
Website: https://c4disc.org/
NEW HORIZON PRESS LIMITED
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Website: https://www.the-newpress.com