For several years, Verlag Barbara Budrich was supported not only by its Academic Advisory Board but also by an Early Career Researchers’ Board. That is now changing – in this blog post, you’ll find out what the new board structure looks like and what led us to make this decision.
What does the Advisory Board of Verlag Barbara Budrich do?
The Academic Advisory Board advises Verlag Barbara Budrich on a range of issues including general publishing decisions, questions of science policy, and the needs arising from teaching, studying, and research.
All members of the Academic Advisory Board are based in one or more of our subject areas (Political Science, Sociology, Education, Social Work, Gender Studies).
New Advisory Board Structure
For several years, the publisher was supported not only by the Academic Advisory Board but also by an Early Career Researchers’ Board. Ultimately, however, we were dissatisfied with the term “early career researchers”. After lengthy discussions around this terminology, we decided in April 2025 – in consultation with our board members – to simply drop the “early career” designation.
So why did we dissolve the separation and bring together professors and emerging researchers in one unified board?
The term “early career researchers” implies the start of a career and thus a beginner’s status. However, researchers in this group may have already been teaching, conducting research, and contributing significantly to academic discourse in their field for many years. And a “career progression” is not always possible, as professorships are famously scarce.
We want to give equal weight to the perspectives of both established academics and emerging researchers, to bring them together and engage in dialogue on equal terms.
As we continue to develop the board, we will ensure that it remains roughly balanced between professors and emerging researchers.
Find out more about the board here:
Interested in publishing with Budrich?
Whether you’re at the very beginning of developing a new book idea or already have a finished manuscript on your desk – don’t hesitate to get in touch with our editorial team:
lektorat@budrich.de
Header image: unsplash.com | James A. Molnar
