Are you a researcher, editor, journal manager, librarian, or scholarly communications professional looking to develop your skills? Are you interested in learning more about the values, influences, technologies, and standards shaping today’s scholarly publishing ecosystem?
Read on to explore how the new Public Knowledge Project (PKP) + Simon Fraser University (SFU) Open Publishing courses are built to take you to the next level in navigating today’s rapidly growing world of scholarly communications and publishing. Register before December 12 to secure your spot in the January courses!
Professional Development to Meet your Needs at your Pace
The Master of Publishing (MPub) Program at SFU, in collaboration with SFU Library, LifeLong Learning, and PKP have come together to bring you unparalleled education opportunities.
Not a credit student? Not a problem! These courses are not just for MPub students — they are for anyone involved in or interested in scholarly communications and publishing.
No matter where you are learning from around the world, you can complete the weekly course content remotely when it fits your schedule, while benefiting from a structured course term with assignment deadlines and instructor feedback.
📚 PUB 604 – Technology and Infrastructure: January 4 – April 26 2026 course details
📚 PUB 611 – Making Knowledge Public: January 4 – April 26 2026 course details
📚 PUB 603 – Journal Management and Editing: May 11 – August 23 2026 course details
Why should you register?
🎓 These courses offer a unique combination of scholarly communications theory and practice that will help you take the next step in your career. When you enroll in one, two, or all three of these courses you are increasing your skills and expertise for a wide variety of jobs.
💡In these courses, you will be learning in a community with other professionals, led by instructors who are experts in the field. You will engage in dialogue on course topics, develop relevant, hands-on projects, and receive tailored feedback on your work.
📜 Upon successful completion of one or more courses, receive a certificate of completion issued by the Public Knowledge Project (available upon request).
💸 These courses are non-profit, meaning the course fees only cover the cost of instruction, and many of the instructors’ resources will be released as Open Education Resources for the benefit of the scholarly publishing community.
Some discounts are available to reduce the cost of registration, especially for those without institutional support or from underrepresented regions.
Email: commpkp[at]sfu[dot]ca with the nature of your need, including your role, institutional affiliation, and country of residence. Requests will be reviewed confidentially and fairly, with priority given to those who would otherwise be unable to participate.
Cutting Edge Education from Experts
SFU is a leader in publishing education, innovation, social responsibility, and equity. These new courses are the only specialized Scholarly Communication stream in Canada.
PKP, an organization built by scholars for scholars, is an SFU Core Research Facility trusted by more than 55,000 journals world wide to help make knowledge open for the public good. Our software is used for open-access, non-commercial, independent publishing.
Together, we are partnering to offer unmatched courses to help you elevate your expertise and advance your career in purposeful, sustainable, and values-driven scholarly publishing.
What will you learn?
📚 PUB 611 – Making Knowledge Public: January 4 to April 26 2026 with Juan Pablo Alperin
- Understand how research moves from universities into the public sphere and shapes society
- Evaluate the public value of scholarly knowledge and its role in informing policy, science, and culture
- Critically examine the structures, incentives, and prestige economies that shape universities and academic careers, including the outsized role of scholarly publishing
- Identify barriers to making knowledge public and propose strategies for more purposeful engagement
- Reflect on the role of education — including your own — in the functioning of academic institutions
- Assess opportunities for researchers, scholars, and universities to strengthen their public mission
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: December 12, 2025
📚 PUB 604 – Technology and Infrastructure: January 4 to April 26 2026 with Alison Moore
- Explain the key technologies and infrastructures that support scholarly publishing and discovery
- Use content management systems to organize, publish, and maintain academic content
- Apply metadata standards to improve the discoverability and interoperability of scholarly works
- Implement digital preservation strategies to ensure long-term access to research outputs
- Evaluate the roles of libraries, repositories, and open access platforms in shaping the scholarly record
- Assess and apply open source tools and services for academic publishing
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: December 12, 2025
📚 PUB 603 – Journal Management and Editing: May 11 to August 23 2026 with Jennifer Zerkee
- Define and carry out the core responsibilities of journal managers and editors
- Design and manage editorial workflows, from submission to final publication
- Implement and oversee peer review processes that ensure fairness, rigor, and quality
- Apply ethical standards in publishing, including copyright, authorship, and integrity considerations
- Curate and evaluate journal content to maintain high editorial quality and relevance
- Integrate open access principles and practices into journal management strategies
Meet the instructors and learn more about the courses!
The course instructors are experts in their fields. Between Juan Pablo Alperin, Alison Moore, and Jennifer Zerkee you will benefit from more than 45 years experience in scholarly publishing and communications that can provide you with a solid foundation in these topics.
Meet the instructors and get the webinar recording
Prepare Yourself for a Career in Scholarly Publishing
The open publishing community is committed to challenging corporate ownership of knowledge creation, production, and consumption. Professionals in this field need a combination of technical expertise, awareness of trends, and practical skills in scholarly publishing.
Do you have a vision for a world where knowledge is open for the benefit of all? Then this field needs you!
🎯 Mapping these Skills onto Career possibilities
Here’s just a taste of the careers that skills from these courses apply to:
Making Knowledge Public
| Skill | Careers |
| Understanding how research moves into the public sphere | Knowledge mobilization, scholarly communications, research impact |
| Evaluating the public value of scholarly knowledge | Research impact analysis, OA strategy, policy-oriented publishing |
| Critiquing academic prestige structures | Publishing reform, OA advocacy, scholarly publishing strategy |
| Identifying barriers to making knowledge public | OA management, repository strategy, public scholarship coordination |
| Reflecting on the role of education & institutions | Academic strategy, publishing ethics, university policy roles |
| Assessing opportunities to strengthen researchers’ public mission | Public scholarship offices, impact units, open access management |
Technology and Infrastructure
| Skill | Careers |
| Understanding scholarly technologies & infrastructures | Publishing technologist, systems analyst, product manager |
| Using CMS to manage academic content | Digital publishing specialist, CMS administrator, content manager |
| Applying metadata standards | Metadata librarian, indexing specialist, repository manager |
| Implementing digital preservation | Digital archivist, preservation specialist, repository manager |
| Evaluating libraries, repositories & OA platforms | Scholarly communications librarian, OA manager, publishing strategist |
| Assessing and applying open-source tools | Open publishing librarian, technical specialist, support roles |
Journal Management and Editing
| Skill | Careers |
| Journal management responsibilities | Managing editor, journal manager, publications manager |
| Designing editorial workflows | Editorial operations manager, assistant editor |
| Implementing peer review | Peer review coordinator, managing editor, section editor |
| Applying publishing ethics | Research integrity officer, ethics specialist, editor |
| Content curation & quality control | Editor, associate editor, portfolio manager |
| Integrating open access | OA publishing manager, library publishing coordinator |
Stay informed and register!
Sign up to stay informed about program updates and be notified about future course offerings in the Open Publishing Series.
Register before December 12th to secure your spot in January classes!
- PUB 611: Making Knowledge Public
- PUB 604: Technologies and Infrastructure for Academic Publishing
- PUB 603: Journal Management and Editing
This course starts in May but you can register now to secure a spot early.
Remember to contact commpkp[at]sfu[dot]ca to inquire about discounts.
