About the Press

Unisa Press welcomes your manuscript of high scholarly excellence and originality.

Authors may only use Artificial Intelligence (AI) if due adherence is made to our Guidelines. Click here to access the Guidelines, which were drawn up by a specialist in the field: Guidelines: Ethical AI Use & Acknowledgments for authors | Unisa Press

We function within a classic university press model:

  • The Senate Publications Committee (SPC) oversees the quality assurance of publications and meets five times per year to consider manuscripts.
  • Unisa Press publishes independent scholarly and academic books as well as broader general interest original works. 
  • Unisa Press offers guidelines for the conversion of PhDs into books.

If you wish to submit a manuscript to Unisa Press,  you need to include an extensive book proposal within the Summary/ABSTRACT space.
If you prefer, you can also attach the book proposal as a separate file to be uploaded to the online system, in MSWord format.

The book proposal positions the manuscript, and is a motivation for the manuscript’s acceptance regarding:

  • Its unique contribution to the subject field
  • Showing an awareness of who else has published on the topic, and how your manuscript offers a unique contribution, or fulfils a specific need within the scholarly environment.
  • Offering an overview summary which gives more information about the book’s structure and the scope of what the chapters covers.
  • The full manuscript needs to be supplied. We regret we cannot consider incomplete manuscripts, nor can we accept sample chapters only.
  • Unisa Press has also opened a Popular Book Series, where the parameters are to address a more general interest audience. This is a more competitive field within which to publish, and we expect you offer information about competing titles, and what the unique target audience is you will be addressing.
  • Please also submit an author biography (or a short CV), which you can insert under the Contributors button. Additional authors: You can upload the details of all the main authors, with a focus on offering a view on the scholarly reputation of the editorial board/group of authors. Authors can submit with one leading author (which can be the sole author), or on behalf of a group of authors. Unisa Press requires however that a single author acts as the primary contact point, regardless of the number of authors participating in the book.

Unisa Press also publishes academic journals.

Linked to our Research and Innovation Portfolio, Unisa Press publishes within five focal areas, and on issues eliciting global discussion:

  • knowledge generation and human capital development linked with the needs of South Africa and our continent;
  • the promotion of democracy, human rights and responsible citizenship;
  • innovation and capacity building in science and technology;
  • economic and environmental sustainability;
  • open distance learning.

UNISA PRESS PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Unisa Press follows a double-blind peer review process. This is an internationally accepted and benchmarked peer review process, valued by other scholarly publishers worldwide.

In addition, for local authors it is required by the South African Department of Higher Education, enabling authors to earn a DHET subsidy.

The incoming manuscript is anonymised (authors submit the ms with names, Unisa Press omits names to ensure the identities are unknown to the 2 reviewers we appoint, who are selected on the basis of their subject-specific expertise as scholars/experts in the specific field.

For every manuscript, two anonymised referees’ reports are secured.

After refereeing, authors are informed whether the manuscript was accepted or rejected.

If the 2 referees differ, we appoint a third referee and decide on the basis of the outcome of the 3 referees’ reports. The authors are given copies of all the referees’ reports.
In the case of a manuscript having been accepted, the authors are asked to revise their manuscripts, in line with the inputs made by the referees. They resubmit the manuscript together with a brief report indicating how revisions were done (Unisa Press needs proof that the referees’ reports were fully incorporated into the final manuscript). If the report and the manuscript is resubmitted, Unisa Press checks the manuscript and accepts on the basis of the extensive revisions having been done.

ASPECTS WHICH REVIEWERS CONSIDER IN THEIR REFEREES’ REPORTS
External refereeing entails a comprehensive assessment of a book manuscript for overall suitability for publication in book form. They assess the quality and value of the manuscript, and provide guidelines for improvement where and if required.

  1. Market reach: Is this of general interest to a wider audience, or for a smaller niche audience?
  2. Marketability: What makes this book unique, which previous authors did not cover or did not cover adequately?
  3. Value of the work, topicality and contribution to scholarship:
    Does the author(s) cover a specific need in South African society?
    Is the methodology or argument proposed for the book academically sound? Is it original?
    Are the appropriate related topics and research literature mentioned in the book?
    Is the information (e.g. data, formulae, quotations, references, tables and figures) accurate and correct?
  1. Overall merit and coverage of the subject. Should the scope of the book be wider/narrower?
  2. Chapter structure and organization of the work: is the impression of the coverage offered by the manuscript? Is it of adequate scope and depth?
  3. Quality of writing: the overall quality of the current manuscript in terms of language, consistency of style and its overall strength.

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Information Disclaimer

Unisa Press makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information contained in our publications. However, Unisa Press, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the publications on this platform. Any opinions and views expressed are the opinions and views of the authors - and are not the views of or endorsed by Unisa Press. Unisa Press shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to, or arising out of the use of the content of any publication on this platform.