PUBLISH WITH US
Why publish your book with Practical Action Publishing?
Our books range from analytical texts, practical books, hands on manuals, and reference works. You can view an index of our current editors, authors and contributors here.
We particularly welcome proposals for books to publish with us in the subject areas of: development studies, agriculture, building and technology; climate change; energy access; gender; global public health; humanitarian assistance, enterprise development and microfinance; social development; urban services; water supply; sanitation and hygiene; all in the context of international development.
Authors should consider publishing with us because:
- As the specialist publishing arm of a global change-making organisation, Practical Action Publishing puts affordable knowledge into the hands of people who need it most, whatever their location, in a language and format that suits them best. We innovate and respond to what change-makers need - from practical 'how to' manuals, to academic texts and journals; online, in print, and in Open Access formats.
- Our 2000+ books and 3000+ journal articles bridge the gap between research and practice and have been offering world class insight on the global challenges that affect communities around the world since 1974.
- Your proposal and manuscript will be peer reviewed by experts in relevant fields and produced by an experienced editorial and production team.
- As an independent publisher we are the exclusive publisher and distributor for prominent international partners and we publish for a variety of international organisations and academic research institutions such as Oxfam GB; FAO; the Emergency Capacity Building Project; The SEEP Network; Sphere; and IRC, Netherlands. We also co-publish with leading research organizations such as IDS, University of Sussex; Overseas Development Institute, London; University of Manchester.
- Our website platform, launched in 2020, is optimised for institutional use, as well as for individual customers worldwide. It houses all our online digital resources (ebooks and journal articles), and showcases all our print books available, including and extensive back catalogue. The website, along with our sales book catalogue, and sales distributors and agents will promote your book to international development practitioners, researchers and students.
- Our Marketing team will work closely with you to help your work create the impact it deserves. Being part of global change-making group Practical Action, means that we are rooted in hands-on community development experience. We have built established networks across the sector and in academic institutions, and can also reach the relevant audience for your work through reviews, blog posts, events, social media, and email campaigns.
- Our production team can source designers and printers from around the world to produce your book efficiently, attractively and cost effectively, helping us to keep our RRPs low for those who most need our resources.
Please download instructions and forms necessary to submit your book proposal below
- As the specialist publishing arm of a global change-making organisation, Practical Action Publishing puts affordable knowledge into the hands of people who need it most, whatever their location, in a language and format that suits them best. We innovate and respond to what change-makers need - from practical 'how to' manuals, to academic texts and journals; online, in print, and in Open Access formats.
- Our 2000+ books and 3000+ journal articles bridge the gap between research and practice and have been offering world class insight on the global challenges that affect communities around the world since 1974.
- Your proposal and manuscript will be peer reviewed by experts in relevant fields and produced by an experienced editorial and production team.
- As an independent publisher we are the exclusive publisher and distributor for prominent international partners and we publish for a variety of international organisations and academic research institutions such as Oxfam GB; FAO; the Emergency Capacity Building Project; The SEEP Network; Sphere; and IRC, Netherlands. We also co-publish with leading research organizations such as IDS, University of Sussex; Overseas Development Institute, London; University of Manchester.
- Our website platform, launched in 2020, is optimised for institutional use, as well as for individual customers worldwide. It houses all our online digital resources (ebooks and journal articles), and showcases all our print books available, including and extensive back catalogue. The website, along with our sales book catalogue, and sales distributors and agents will promote your book to international development practitioners, researchers and students.
- Our Marketing team will work closely with you to help your work create the impact it deserves. Being part of global change-making group Practical Action, means that we are rooted in hands-on community development experience. We have built established networks across the sector and in academic institutions, and can also reach the relevant audience for your work through reviews, blog posts, events, social media, and email campaigns.
- Our production team can source designers and printers from around the world to produce your book efficiently, attractively and cost effectively, helping us to keep our RRPs low for those who most need our resources.
Submit articles for our international peer reviewed journals
Enterprise Development & Microfinance offers practice-based insights into the role of markets, enterprises and financial services in reducing poverty and stimulating economic development. Contributions to EDM may include: Research article: original development-relevant research, peer-reviewed, up to 6000 words; Perspectives from the field; ideas and experiences on entrepreneurship in developing countries, peer-reviewed, up to 4000 words; Editorial: reflections on the state of market-oriented research and development practice; Crossfire: debate between experts on the unknowns, dilemmas, and tensions in microfinance and enterprise development; Book review: critical thoughts on relevant books and manuscripts.
Read our instructions to find out how to submit to Enterprise Development & Microfinance, and when you are ready, fill out our simple submissions form!
We are also actively looking for expert reviewers to peer review every single one of our articles and ensure that our journals uphold the highest standards. Would you like to join our team of reviewers? We would love to find out more about your areas of expertise, and look forward to hearing from you! Please fill in our reviewer form here and email it to the team at EDM@practicalaction.org.uk.
Waterlines welcomes two forms of submission, each of which has specific requirements for authors and different guidelines for referees.
- Research papers are up to 6000 words in length, and report on studies which usually include some primary data collection. These papers must always include a critical review of literature, a complete description and justification of the methodology used, and succinct presentation and analysis of data. Conclusions and recommendations should specifically include the implications for practice. In those cases where human subjects are involved, the methodology must include clear statements about the ethical approvals and consents obtained. Exceptionally a research paper may consist of a literature review with no primary data collection, but if so the review must be undertaken in a systematic and clearly described manner.
- Practice papers are up to 3000 words in length. They are used to describe innovations, trials, pilots and field experiences, or to present more general experience and learning in essay form. They are expected to refer to the literature as appropriate, although generally not as extensively as in a research paper. In the case of field work the methods adopted should be described in a way which makes it possible for others to repeat what was done. The implications for wider practice, for scaling-up, or for changes to policy should be drawn out. Recommendations may include, among other things, guidance for further research.
Waterlines is a refereed journal that bridges the gap between research and practice. Our approach to journal indexing reflects this position. In recent years, we have sought to expand the availability on key journal databases, such as Scopus and Google Scholar, and through this process we have been allocated a variety of Impact Factor indexing scores. However, we have not been listed on the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Indexing System, which is the most widely recognised system for producing Impact Factor scores within academic settings. This is because we felt this system provided limited benefit to practitioners and we wished to remain flexible to meet the needs of both our practitioner and researcher audiences. This position is now under review and we are actively assessing the benefits of a submission to gain a Web of Science Impact Factor.
The editors welcome authors sending in 100-250 word outlines of their proposed article for discussion and guidance prior to writing the full article.
Read our instructions to find out how to submit to Waterlines, and when you are ready, fill out our simple submissions form!
We are also actively looking for expert reviewers to peer review every single one of our articles and ensure that our journals uphold the highest standards. Would you like to join our team of reviewers? We would love to find out more about your areas of expertise, and look forward to hearing from you! Please fill in our reviewer form here and email it to the team at waterlines@practicalaction.org.uk.
USEFUL DOWNLOADS FOR AUTHORS
Book proposal form
House style guide (including instructions for book submission)
Instructions for journal article submission
Journal submission form for Waterlines
Journal submission form for EDM
Are you an expert and would you be happy to review articles for us? Send us a Waterlines reviewer form or an EDM reviewer form to tell us more!
Read about our Open Access programme
- Research papers are up to 6000 words in length, and report on studies which usually include some primary data collection. These papers must always include a critical review of literature, a complete description and justification of the methodology used, and succinct presentation and analysis of data. Conclusions and recommendations should specifically include the implications for practice. In those cases where human subjects are involved, the methodology must include clear statements about the ethical approvals and consents obtained. Exceptionally a research paper may consist of a literature review with no primary data collection, but if so the review must be undertaken in a systematic and clearly described manner.
- Practice papers are up to 3000 words in length. They are used to describe innovations, trials, pilots and field experiences, or to present more general experience and learning in essay form. They are expected to refer to the literature as appropriate, although generally not as extensively as in a research paper. In the case of field work the methods adopted should be described in a way which makes it possible for others to repeat what was done. The implications for wider practice, for scaling-up, or for changes to policy should be drawn out. Recommendations may include, among other things, guidance for further research.
Waterlines is a refereed journal that bridges the gap between research and practice. Our approach to journal indexing reflects this position. In recent years, we have sought to expand the availability on key journal databases, such as Scopus and Google Scholar, and through this process we have been allocated a variety of Impact Factor indexing scores. However, we have not been listed on the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Indexing System, which is the most widely recognised system for producing Impact Factor scores within academic settings. This is because we felt this system provided limited benefit to practitioners and we wished to remain flexible to meet the needs of both our practitioner and researcher audiences. This position is now under review and we are actively assessing the benefits of a submission to gain a Web of Science Impact Factor.
The editors welcome authors sending in 100-250 word outlines of their proposed article for discussion and guidance prior to writing the full article.
Read our instructions to find out how to submit to Waterlines, and when you are ready, fill out our simple submissions form!
We are also actively looking for expert reviewers to peer review every single one of our articles and ensure that our journals uphold the highest standards. Would you like to join our team of reviewers? We would love to find out more about your areas of expertise, and look forward to hearing from you! Please fill in our reviewer form here and email it to the team at waterlines@practicalaction.org.uk.