We’re a non-profit university press committed to influencing social change through international research and scholarship. To really get to know more about who we are we’d recommend that you read our story.

Winner of the 2016 IPG Frankfurt Book Fair Academic & Professional Publisher award, we are proud to be an independent publisher and our social mission is just one of a number of reasons why we are different and why, as an author, you might want to publish with us.

Policy Press is a global ambassador for the University of Bristol and through our work we support the University’s intellectual and social missions.

We’re all about the facts and figures as well though so if it’s straight data about us and what we do then read on.

We publish over 120 peer reviewed books each year and 7 journals in a wide range of print and digital editions for researchers, students, professionals, practitioners, politicians, policy makers and the informed general reader as well as for libraries and other institutions globally.

Our digital research collection, Policy Press Scholarship Online, is available in association with Oxford University Press and our books can be found in many other digital platforms for students and researchers.

In essence we publish:

• Research: monographs, journals, atlases, ‘shorts’, ‘bytes’, policy briefings, freemium products

• Learning resources: textbooks, apps and digital learning resources

• Trade: accessible, well-evidenced books and social commentary, online magazines, ‘shorts’

• Policy and practice: books, guides, ‘shorts’.

Titles span the social science subject disciplines, including: sociology, social work, criminology, political science, education, childhood studies, social and public policy, urban studies, public health, socioeconomics and social geography.

Policy Press won the 2016 IPG Frankfurt Book Fair Academic & Professional Publisher award. We have also been shorlisted for the 2016 Bookseller Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year award.

Our books have won a number of prizes, including recently the British Academy Peter Townsend prize, the British Sociological Association Philip Abrahams Prize, the Socio-legal Association Theory and History Prize and the American Library Association Choice Outstanding Academic Titles of the Year (from 25 including Piketty!).

Many PP books have influence beyond the usual scholarly work and reach central and local government, the voluntary sector, policy makers, the media and wider public. We help authors to engage beyond the scholarly, for example we created a free graphic digital taster of Injustice by Danny Dorling for schools, media and politicians.

Our authors range from leaders in their respective fields as well as up and coming new talent from around the globe.

We have longstanding collaborations with research institutes like the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics, academic associations such as the UK Social Policy Association and British Sociological Association and campaigning organisations like UNICEF and Human Rights Watch.

Global reach