A call for collective action to #DefendResearch

Author: Penny Trees, Brand Manager, Emerald Publishing

Emerald Publishing convened leading voices to explore collaborative strategies to #DefendResearch and safeguard academic freedom at a panel in Leeds, UK on 25 September 2025.

Chaired by Vicky Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Emerald Publishing, and in partnership with Scholarly Social, brought together four leading voices from across the scholarly community. Throughout the session, the message was clear: academic freedom is under attack and the time to act is now. 

Why it matters 

• Threats to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) funding are real and growing
• Censorship is escalating, targeting keywords and silencing research
• Marginalised communities face existential stakes as identities risk being erased from public discourse

Publishers cannot stand on the sidelines. Collaboration is critical. 

In her opening remarks, Vicky Williams set the scene: “Whilst the landscape is sobering, I think the opportunity to act is strong and there's obviously power in unity and power in numbers.”

The call to #DefendResearch 

Each of the panellists brought their own experiences to the discussion, sharing urgent appeals.

Sara Rouhi, Co-author of the Declaration to Defend Research, warned of the rapid rise in censorship: 

“Don't lose sight of the fact that resistance takes a lot of different shapes and whatever you’re able to do, even if it feels small, is something.” 

Sara challenged the community to move beyond gestures and create education platforms that can help people act internally if external advocacy isn’t possible.

Dr Mustafa Ozturk, Programme Director and Researcher, Queen Mary University of London, UK, made it clear: 

“The very existence of people and their ability for self-determination is now at stake.” 

Mustafa highlighted the need to embed equity into strategy, diversify editorial boards, and make intersectional action non-negotiable. 

Terri Teleen, President Americas, Emerald Publishing, reminded us of our shared responsibility: 

“I would really love to find a way to convince other stakeholders that if we work together and we resist then we would be a lot better off.”  

Her plea was to publishers to unite with universities, libraries, and researchers. Collective action is our strength.

Josh Sendall, Acting University Librarian & Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, Leeds University, UK, called for urgent action: 

“Things are crumbling away, and if we're not careful to shore up the foundations, we may find ourselves beneath the rubble of the world that we were coming to love, that we felt was progressive.” 

His advice was to defend integrity, editorial independence, and peer review and prioritise Open Access to build a resilient global network.

What we can do together

The Q&A surfaced practical steps for collective action:

• Offer bursaries for at-risk researchers
• Host conferences outside restrictive jurisdictions
• Share legal guidance with the research community
• Collaborate across the research lifecycle, not just at publication.

The challenges are real, but solidarity brings hope. As Sara Rouhi closed:

“Do not despair. It’s not useful. Take time to recover if you need but we have to get back in. We have to get back up.” 

Now is the time to act. Sign the Declaration to #DefendResearch.