The Independent Review

ACSA commissioned Maverick Publishing Solutions to conduct an independent governance review comparing ACSA’s editorial policies to established scholarly publishing standards and assessing the processes that led to the issue’s cancellation. This included examination of policy documents and confidential interviews with ACSA leadership and the JAE editorial team.

The report found that while existing ACSA policies outlined authority for decision-making, existing frameworks were insufficient for raising, assessing, or resolving concerns relating to editorial content, ethical questions, or research integrity issues. Importantly, while the review found the Board’s decision making to be objective, it identified structural improvements to strengthen future operations.

Response and Next Steps

ACSA established a special committee to review the report’s findings and recommend strategies to address the specific issues raised with the journal as well as broader questions about academic freedom, editorial independence, and institutional responsibility. The committee’s work will inform comprehensive policy updates for ACSA’s journals, conferences, publications, competitions, prizes, fellowships, and awards. We anticipate sharing the outcomes with the membership in coming months.

Our Commitment

ACSA remains committed to supporting rigorous scholarly discourse that informs our organizational values. The governance review processes underway are designed to ensure research surrounding equity, social justice, and climate action can proceed while protecting our most vulnerable modes of inquiry. Thanks to our members’ feedback and participation, we move forward with renewed dedication to excellence, transparency, and service to our broad academic community.