OAPA Newsroom

News and public updates from the Open Access Publishing Association

The OAPA Newsroom brings together official announcements, partnership updates, organisational developments, and key public communications from across the Association.

This page serves as a central record of OAPA’s public-facing activity, including major editorial transitions, new partnerships, publishing developments, and institutional milestones.

About the Newsroom

OAPA uses the Newsroom to share timely and official updates relevant to members, partners, editors, libraries, universities, and the wider scholarly community. Announcements published here reflect key moments in the Association’s publishing, educational, governance, and partnership activity.

As OAPA continues to grow, this page will serve as an accessible and professional public record of the Association’s work and impact.

What you will find here

Official announcements

Partnership and journal updates

Organisational developments

Major milestones across OAPA

Latest from OAPA

The latest announcements are listed below.

Media Release

JUTLP announces new Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor appointments

JUTLP has appointed Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald as incoming Editor-in-Chief and Dr Alison Purvis as incoming Deputy Editor.

24 April 2026

The Open Access Publishing Association has announced the appointment of Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald as incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, alongside the appointment of Dr Alison Purvis to the newly established role of Deputy Editor.

Both appointments will formally commence on 1 July 2026, with transition and interim arrangements beginning from 24 April 2026 in their current Senior Editor roles. The appointments reflect the next stage in JUTLP’s leadership transition and the journal’s continued commitment to strong academic stewardship, editorial quality, and long-term sustainability.

The incoming team will build on JUTLP’s strong foundation while supporting continuity, performance, editorial consistency, and the journal’s ongoing global relevance in higher education scholarship.

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Media Release

Dr Joseph Crawford announces retirement from Editor-in-Chief role after beginning with the journal in 2019

Dr Joseph Crawford will retire from the Editor-in-Chief role at JUTLP during 2026 following a planned leadership transition.

27 March 2026

Dr Crawford joined the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice in 2019 and has served as Editor-in-Chief since 2020. During that time, the journal navigated major growth and challenge, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of funding, and an artificial intelligence bot incursion affecting scholarly publishing.

In 2020, JUTLP’s CiteScore was 1.1. It is now 8.6. In Dr Crawford’s first year, the journal screened approximately 250 to 300 manuscripts; last year, that number exceeded 1,200.

At its 26 March 2026 Board meeting, the OAPA Board agreed to establish and appoint Dr Crawford to the role of Editor-at-Large, a broader association-wide editorial leadership position supporting OAPA’s publishing portfolio.

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