The statutes of Tallinn University Press

Established by the Rector of TLÜ

14 October 2009, Order No. 42

 

The statutes of Tallinn University Press

 

 

  1. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.1.      Tallinn University Press (hereinafter the Press) is an independent division of Tallinn University (hereinafter the University), the main functions of which are academic publishing and the distribution and sales of publications.

1.2.      The activities of the Press are subject to the laws of the Republic of Estonia, the University statute, its own statutes, the publishing directives of the University, other University guidelines, recommendations of the editorial boards, and best academic practices.

1.3.      The Press has its own financial source code, letterhead and seal.

1.4.      The name of the publishing division in English is Tallinn University Press.

1.5.      Tallinn University Press is the owner of the ”Tallinn University Press“ trademark, the use of which is regulated by the Editor-in-Chief of the Press under the direction of the Rector of the University.

 

  1. MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

2.1.      The primary task objective of the Press is to publish high quality, well edited and designed academic and intellectual literature proposed by the departments and affiliates of Tallinn University. To achieve this objective, the Press:

2.1.1.      consistently cooperates with the departments of the University and their international partners to solicit publishing proposals and to develop an academic publishing plan;

2.1.2.      refers suitable publishing proposals and manuscripts to the editorial boards for peer review and evaluation;

2.1.3.      arranges for linguistic editing, layout and proofreading of selected manuscripts;

2.1.4.      delivers the final manuscripts to the printing office.

2.2.      The Press collaborates with partners in Estonia and abroad, including:

2.2.1.      developing joint projects with the publishing divisions of partner universities, international academic publishers, scientific societies and organizations in which university staff participate, and other partners;

2.2.2.      regularly informing the general public of its activities.

2.3.      The Press cooperates with the Estonian ISBN Agency.

2.4.      The Press collaborates with printing enterprises to ensure high quality, availability and the optimum cost-benefit ratio.

2.5.      The Press is responsible for the distribution and sales of its publications, including:

2.5.1.      developing cooperative sales arrangements with wholesale companies and publishing houses in Estonia and abroad;

2.5.2.      advertizing and disseminating its publications in Estonian and English through its website.

2.6.      The Press will participate to the extent possible in publicizing the activities of the University at home and abroad.

 

  1. STAFFING

3.1.      The Press employment positions and their alteration are proposed by the Editor-in-Chief, coordinated by the Science Pro-Rector and ratified by the Rector.

3.2.      The job descriptions of the Press staff are prepared by the Editor-in-Chief.

3.3.      The Press employment positions are staffed through a competitive process.

3.4.      Changes to the Press employment positions are proposed by the Editor-in-Chief, coordinated by the Science Pro-Rector and ratified by the Rector of the University.

 

  1. MANAGEMENT

4.1.      The Press is managed by the Editor-in-Chief, whose duties are defined in a job description.

4.2.      The work of the Press is guided by editorial boards: the chief academic board and the boards of the series. The composition of the boards is approved by the Rector of the University; the editorial boards are subject to the statutes, which also provide for the replacement of members of the editorial boards as required.

4.3.      Editorial boards.

4.3.1.      The chief academic board of the Press formulates the publishing policy of the University, the publishing rules and funding requirements, which are proposed by the Editor-in-Chief, approved by the Rector of the University and posted on the Press website.

4.3.2.      The chief academic board of the Press meets once a year, reviews the annual report and approves the plan of action for the coming year.

4.3.3.      The editorial boards meet at least twice a year and select the proposals and manuscripts for publishing.

4.3.4.      The meetings of the editorial boards are convened by the Editor-in-Chief. The meetings may be convened electronically.

4.4.      The duties of the Press staff are specified in their job descriptions, and approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

4.5.      The Press is under the direction of the Science Pro-Rector.

4.6.      The Press employment contracts are signed by the Science Pro-Rector.

 

  1. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1.      The Press reserves the right to:

5.1.1.      obtain documents and information from other departments and employees of the University as required for the activities of the Press;

5.1.2.      initiate proposals for developing the publishing activities of the University;

5.1.3.      use University facilities, infrastructure and equipment for Press purposes;

5.1.4.      submit proposals to the Science Pro-Rector to initiate, change and eliminate employment positions;

5.1.5.      accept manuscripts as commissioned work;

5.1.6.      determine publishing prices;

5.1.7.      represent the University within its jurisdiction.

5.2.      The Press is obligated to:

5.2.1.      pursue the goals of the University and abide by its regulations;

5.2.2.      accomplish its objectives according to these statutes, within the stipulated time periods and in keeping with quality standards;

5.2.3.      safeguard the quality standards of its services;

5.2.4.      manage the division´s website, and ensure that sufficient and correct information is available to enable the distribution of its publications to be effectively promoted;

5.2.5.      to forward to the departments of the University pertinent information relating to its activities;

5.2.6.      use the resources allocated to the Press prudently and for appropriate purposes.

 

  1. FINANCES

6.1.      The budget of the Press is an allotment within the budget of the University.

6.2.      The funds for the Press budget are transferred to the Press account and managed by the Editor-in-Chief.

6.3.      The Press revenues are transferred to the Press account and managed by the relevant boards of the Press.

 

  1. EVALUATION AND REPORTING

7.1.      The Press is evaluated on:

  1. 7.1.1 the quality of its publications, the number of titles and pages published;
  2. 7.1.2 the distribution of the publications issued by the Press in Estonia and abroad, including the number of orders from libraries, as well as the response from scientific publications and the media;
  3. 7.1.3 the Press revenues.

7.2.      The Press shall submit a report of the activities of the previous year by 15 February to the chief academic board for their review and evaluation.