Excerpts from Electronic Enlightenment’s Spring 2025 update

By Sophie Dickson, Olivia Flynn, Tessa van Wijk, and Kate Davies

We have recently published five new blog posts on Electronic Enlightenment. These blogs cover a range of insightful topics and will be linked through our Electronic Enlightenment announcement newsletter, offering fresh insights and valuable information to you. Each blog is crafted to enlighten and engage, providing you with information and discussions on the history of the Barham Family, Charles Bertram, William Stukeley, Phillis Wheatley Peters, and the history of slavery through the letters of well-known historical figures. Check out the excerpts below and read the full blog posts and more on Electronic Enlightenment.

Oxford Intersections: research from all angles [quiz]

By Matthew Colley

We’re excited to announce the launch of Oxford Intersections, a new interdisciplinary research tool from Oxford University Press. Containing original research from diverse disciplines, this tool provides a comprehensive approach to problem-solving, fostering innovation and collaboration.

Community, commerce, and open access experimentation

By John Louth and Marta Moldvai

You may have wondered why so many publishers are announcing pilot projects on open access (OA) publishing. The theme of Open Access Week (October 21-27), Community over Commercialization, hints at the reason

How to choose the right journal

By Megan Taphouse and Laura Richards

There are likely to be many suitable journals in your field, but targeting the right journal is an important decision, as where you choose to publish can influence the impact and visibility of your work.

AI attitudes and behaviour: researcher profiles [interactive]

By Jessamine Hopkins, Tamsin Chamberlain, and Laura Richards

While 76% of researchers say they have used some form of AI tool in their research, our survey uncovered unexpected generational differences and polarised opinions on the impact of AI.

The medieval world [interactive map]

By OUP History

The study of the Middle Ages is expanding. With new locales and cross-cultural interconnections being explored, the study of the medieval world has never been more open. Set upon the backdrop of Martellus’ c.1490 world map, venture across the medieval world discovering Latvian Mead, trans-Mediterranean trade, and Ibn Battuta’s travels. Explore the Middle Ages like never before and sample medieval research from across our books, research encyclopedias, and open access journal articles.  

How to turn your PhD thesis into a book

By Sam Bailey

As an OUP editor who has also completed a PhD, one of the most common questions I am asked is how to turn a thesis into a book. My only-slightly-flippant answer is don’t.

Are academic researchers embracing or resisting generative AI? And how should publishers respond?

By David Clark

Most people, but not all, would agree that the internet has benefitted research and researchers’ working lives. But can we be so sure about the role of new technologies, and, most immediately, generative AI?

Are the Apostolic Fathers relevant to twenty-first century readers?

By William Varner

The value of the “Apostolic Fathers” is evident for a better understanding of the New Testament and the formative years of the “Jesus Movement” that came to be called Christianity. The Apostolic Fathers can help us measure our own understanding of that early phase of church history.

On specters and spectacle: tales of two Eurovisions, Liverpool-Ukraine 2023

By Philip V. Bohlman

Phantoms from the past, ghosts of the present, specters of the future, all gathered on 13 May to haunt the Eurovision Song Contest, cohosted in 2023 by the United Kingdom in Liverpool and by Ukraine in the spectral spaces of a Europe divided by war, but singing in concert under the banner, “United by Music.”

How well do you know your twentieth-century literature? [Quiz]

By Megan Whitlock

Try this short quiz to test your knowledge and learn more about famous twentieth-century texts!

Beaumarchais and Electronic Enlightenment

By Gregory Brown

The addition to Electronic Enlightenment of nearly 500 letters from the Beaumarchais correspondence is a significant event in eighteenth-century studies.

Grove Music’s 2023 spoof article contest is now open!

By Scott Gleason

The Grove Music Online spoof article contest is now open for 2023!

Nine literary New Year’s resolutions

Do you need some inspiration for your New Year’s resolutions? If you’re in a resolution rut and feeling some of that winter gloom, then you’re not alone. To help you on your way to an exciting start to 2017, we’ve enlisted the help of some of history’s greatest literary and philosophical figures–on their own resolutions, and inspiring thoughts for the New Year.

Five tips to improve your research culture

By Magdalena Bak-Maier

With principal investigators facing work, life, mental health and career challenges, time is often a limiting factor. But creating a healthy environment helps all achieve and feel well.  A typical principal investigator (PI) must overcome many challenges and has a great deal to learn. The experience was accurately portrayed in a recent Twitter post with the caption […]

Nine new books to understand the Cold War [reading list]

By OUP History

This October marks the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tense political and military standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. To mark the anniversary, we’re sharing some of our latest history titles on the Cold War for you to explore, share, and enjoy. We have also granted free access to selected chapters, for a limited time, for you to dip into.