On 12 November 2026, during University Press Week, the University Press Charter was launched with 108 signatory publishers in 26 countries. The effort was led by Cambridge University Press and Bristol University Press, and one of its six commitments is “developing responsible approaches to artificial intelligence”, described in the launch coverage as keeping human judgment at the center of AI.
What the University Press Charter is
The charter is a short set of shared commitments for university presses and university-based publishers. According to Publishers Weekly, Cambridge University Press and Bristol University Press led it, the Association of University Presses hosts and supports it, and talks among UK and North American presses began in summer 2026. Signatories include 27 US presses such as those at Amherst, Baylor, Columbia, Duke, Fordham, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Princeton, Rutgers, SUNY and the University of California. Publishers Weekly also notes that Oxford University Press is not among them.
The Society for Scholarly Publishing’s report of the release and Research Information both describe seven founding presses: Cambridge, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Princeton and University of London Press. The charter responds to concerns about research integrity, artificial intelligence and financial sustainability, and in particular to growing paper volumes and declining trust in published research.
The six commitments
As quoted in the SSP report, signatories commit to:
- Putting quality, integrity and trust at the heart of scholarly publishing.
- Increasing transparency around publishing services, value and publishing choices.
- Developing responsible approaches to artificial intelligence.
- Expanding global participation in the creation and sharing of knowledge.
- Supporting responsible research assessment.
- Working collaboratively across the scholarly communities they serve.
Research Information calls these commitments rather than principles, and its wording of the list differs slightly from the SSP text; the substance is the same.
What the charter says about AI
The AI commitment is the third item above. The launch coverage describes it as keeping human judgment at the center of AI. Published coverage does not set out charter-level rules on AI authorship, on AI use in peer review, or on licensing publisher content for AI training, so none of those should be assumed to be covered. The commitment is a statement of direction, and any operational detail would have to come from each signatory’s own policies.
Those policies already exist and vary. For how publishers currently treat AI in refereeing, see the AI in peer review publisher policy comparison, and for the authorship rule many journals follow, see the ICMJE generative AI policy.
What it means for authors and research offices
The charter does not, as reported, create new obligations for authors. It signals what signatory presses say they will work toward, which is useful context when choosing where to publish or when a press asks for a statement on AI use. Research offices can treat the signatory list as one input, alongside each publisher’s published policies, not as a substitute for them.
Two other commitments touch research-office work directly. The commitment on responsible research assessment sits alongside existing frameworks; see DORA vs CoARA and the CoARA guide. The commitments on integrity and transparency echo the standards set out in COPE’s guidelines.
What happens next
According to the SSP report, Cambridge, Bristol, Liverpool, Edinburgh, University of Wales Press and the London School of Economics are developing a UK engagement programme that will involve funders, universities and policymakers on the future of scholarly publishing. Work will initially focus on humanities and social sciences research publishing, with findings shared internationally later. French, Portuguese and Welsh translations of the charter are in preparation, and other university presses are invited to sign. The Association of University Presses’ executive director, Peter Berkery, called the charter “a starting point for further engagement locally, nationally and globally.”
Sources
- Publishers Weekly, “University Presses Sign Charter Promising Integrity, Vigilance Over AI”: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/101763-university-presses-sign-charter-promising-integrity-vigilance-over-ai.html (checked 2026-11-14)
- Society for Scholarly Publishing, “University Presses Unite as AI and Financial Pressures Threaten Scholarly Publishing”: https://www.sspnet.org/university-presses-unite-as-ai-and-financial-pressures-threaten-scholarly-publishing/ (checked 2026-11-14)
- Research Information, “Seven university presses unite behind publishing charter”: https://www.researchinformation.info/news/seven-university-presses-unite-behind-publishing-charter/ (checked 2026-11-14)
- The Bookseller, “More than 100 publishers back University Press Charter amid AI and financial pressures” (headline and lead only): https://www.thebookseller.com/news/more-than-100-publishers-back-university-press-charter-amid-ai-and-financial-pressures (checked 2026-11-14)
