About us

Bristol University Press, and its imprint Policy Press, are committed to publishing the highest-quality scholarship in the social sciences and aligned disciplines. We want our work to make a positive contribution from the advancement of ideas through to practical implementation.

In 2021 we celebrated 25 years since Policy Press was established and 5 years since the creation of Bristol University Press. Find out more here, including a timeline of our history. You can download our specially commissioned anniversary brochure here.

As a not-for-profit publisher, we are able to put integrity before profit and research before sensationalism to ensure that we provide an internationally respected platform for the global scholarly community to disseminate work that matters.

One of our key aims as a publisher is to focus on the global social challenges we face. Our social world is rapidly changing with the development of new technology, challenges to expertise and evidence-based knowledge, the effects of climate change, continued poverty and inequality, and now the need for COVID-19 recovery. Find out more about our global social challenges publishing here, including the new Global Social Challenges Journal - a new, interdisciplinary, non-profit open access journal.

We work closely with organisations around the world to develop work that makes an impact in the field and to ensure the research and evidence we publish reaches the people who can use it.

"We are delighted to invest in the future of The Press and to expand its remit to encompass a broader range of scholarship of the highest quality." Hugh Brady, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Bristol

"If I had the money, I'd establish a press like this in every part of America. Major houses are great, but it's places like these that publish the work that matters most." Linda Tirado, author of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America

Read more of what people have said about us here.

If you are an author interested in publishing with Bristol University Press or Policy Press (details of our imprints below), find out more in our Author Hub.

Our imprints

Bristol University Press

Bristol University Press strives to publish world-class scholarship that advances theory, knowledge and learning within and beyond academia.

This exciting university press questions the status quo, promotes social justice and reframes ideas in a global context.

Our vision is to join the first rank of internationally respected university presses through a commitment to world-class scholarship, global impact and impeccable author care.

"Bristol University Press combines a tradition of publishing high-quality research with a bold new strategy, entrepreneurial management and strong author engagement." Jon Pierre, Research Professor, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and University of Melbourne, Australia

"Bristol University Press focuses on challenging the status quo – its brilliant publishing driven by a mission that’s designed to inspire, motivate and challenge." Mandy Hill, MD, Cambridge University Press, and Judge for the University Press Sustainability Award 2020

Subjects under Bristol University Press are:

Business and Management
Criminology
Economics and Society
Environment and Sustainability
Human Geography
International Development
Law
Politics and International Relations
Science, Technology and Society
Sociology

Policy Press

Policy Press has its roots in social policy and social justice, and is committed to progressive social change.

Over 25 years we have built a reputation for publishing scholarship that focuses on improving individual lives and reaches beyond academia to government, professionals and the wider public to inform policy and practice.

Policy Press has provided an important route for journalists, politicians and professionals in the UK to make their work visible to the scholarly community and accessible to wider society. 

"Policy Press are dedicated to publishing that counts and serves a wider purpose, producing books with care and craftsmanship. They publish on subjects where other publishers don't go. And their books make a difference." Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at Oxford University, author of Injustice

"It was an absolute delight and pleasure to publish with Policy Press, not least because their values of social justice and inclusion closely align with my own." Kalwant Bhopal, University of Birmingham, author of White Privilege

Subjects under Policy Press are:

Ageing and Gerontology
Children, Young People and Families
Community Development
Criminal Justice and Policing
Education
Health and Social Care
Planning and Housing
Social and Public Policy
Social Research Methods
Social Work