Mona Academic Press

Mona Academic Press
Name	Mona Academic Press
Founded	1998
Founder	Josephine Carter
Headquarters	Kingston, Jamaica
Key people	Dr. Eleanor Grant (Editor-in-Chief), Marcus Bailey (Managing Director)
Publications	Academic books, peer-reviewed journals, monographs, conference proceedings
Topics	Caribbean studies, public health, environmental science, humanities, social policy
Imprint	MAP Academic

Mona Academic Press is an independent scholarly publisher based in Kingston, Jamaica, known for regional and international monographs, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed journals. It operates at the intersection of Caribbean studies, public health, and environmental research while engaging with global networks of universities, research institutes, and professional societies. The press maintains partnerships with academic libraries, funding bodies, and conference organizers across the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean.

History

Mona Academic Press was established in 1998 by Josephine Carter with seed support from the University of the West Indies and collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and local foundations. Early projects included edited collections linked to symposia hosted by the University of the West Indies and funded research connected to the Inter-American Development Bank and the Pan American Health Organization. During the 2000s the press expanded its editorial board to include scholars affiliated with institutions such as King's College London, University of Toronto, Harvard University, Columbia University, and McGill University. Partnerships with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Caribbean Community facilitated publications on biodiversity and regional integration. In the 2010s MAP launched its first journal series after cooperative agreements with the British Academy, the Social Science Research Council, and the Ford Foundation. The press has presented at gatherings like the Association of Caribbean Historians annual conference, the World Congress of Environmental History, and meetings of the Caribbean Studies Association.

Mission and Academic Focus

The press states a mission to amplify scholarship related to the Caribbean and its diasporas, while also publishing comparative work involving regions represented by partners such as the African Union, the Organization of American States, and the European Commission research directorates. Subject emphases include public health and epidemiology linked to the World Health Organization agendas, climate science connected to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and humanities research engaging archives like the British Library and the National Archives (United Kingdom). Editorial interests extend to legal and policy analysis referencing instruments such as the Caribbean Court of Justice decisions, regional trade debates involving the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, and cultural studies citing collections at the Smithsonian Institution and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Publications and Journals

MAP's catalog comprises academic monographs, edited volumes, student textbooks, and several peer-reviewed journals. Flagship journals have included titles supported by editorial boards with members from Yale University, Oxford University Press contributors, and guest editors drawn from Johns Hopkins University, University of Oxford, and University of London. Edited series have featured conference proceedings from events organized by the Caribbean Studies Association, the Institute of Development Studies, and the Royal Anthropological Institute. Publications have addressed topics intersecting with research programs at the Rockefeller Foundation, grants from the National Institutes of Health, and conservation initiatives affiliated with the World Wildlife Fund. The press has produced biographies and cultural histories referencing archival materials from the National Archives and Records Administration and exhibition catalogs tied to the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art.

Editorial and Peer Review Practices

MAP employs a peer review model combining external double-blind review with in-house editorial oversight involving editors with affiliations to institutions like the University of the West Indies, University College London, and the University of the West Indies Mona Campus. Editorial advisory panels include scholars connected to the Royal Society, the Caribbean Philosophical Association, and the American Historical Association. The press advertises peer reviewers drawn from faculties at Duke University, University of British Columbia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and University of the West Indies St. Augustine. For commissioned volumes MAP collaborates with conference organizers such as the International Economic Association and the Latin American Studies Association to appoint guest editors and reviewer pools. Ethical policies cite norms from the Committee on Publication Ethics and research integrity frameworks referenced by the Wellcome Trust and the European Research Council.

Distribution, Access, and Licensing

Distribution channels include partnerships with academic distributors servicing libraries in the Caribbean, North America, and Europe, as well as digital distribution through platforms partnering with vendors like university presses' consortia and international aggregators associated with the HathiTrust, the Directory of Open Access Books, and institutional repositories at universities including University of the West Indies and University of Miami. MAP offers both traditional ISBN-bearing print editions and digital editions compliant with standards used by the International Organization for Standardization. Licensing options range from standard copyright to open-access agreements modeled on practices promoted by the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association and funder mandates from the Wellcome Trust and the European Commission Horizon 2020 program. The press has participated in library consortia purchasing and contributed content to digital humanities projects linked to the Digital Public Library of America.

Criticism and Controversies

MAP has faced criticism from some academics and librarians regarding pricing of print collections and the pace of backlist digitization, with commentary appearing in forums frequented by members of the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Caribbean Librarians Association. Debates have arisen over editorial decisions in controversial special issues that drew responses from scholars associated with University of the West Indies Mona, University of the West Indies St. Augustine, and external critics from University of Chicago and Cornell University. Allegations about peer review delays prompted independent commentary referencing standards advocated by the Committee on Publication Ethics and policy critiques in venues tied to the Scholarly Kitchen and the Publishing Research Consortium. MAP responded by revising workflows in consultation with advisory board members from King's College London and representatives of funding bodies such as the Caribbean Development Bank.

Category:Academic publishing companies