Winner 2025 - Open access co-produced book -Queer and in Care: Journeys throughcare being young and LGBTQIA+
Open Research objectives/practices
-
Making the outputs of research freely available.
-
Increasing the transparency of research processes and methodologies.
-
Using alternative models of publication and peer review.
-
Using open collaborative methods and tools
Introduction
Our case is the publication of the book Queer and In Care as an open access work co-produced through collaborative methodology with researchers, practitioners, and LGBTQIA+ young people.
Research on LGBTQIA+ youth has expanded in recent years, yet they are frequently excluded from conversations about their own well-being, limiting their right to participate in society. This exclusion reinforces stereotypes and ignores the complexity of their identities, contributing to their social stigma. As a result, much of the research reflects adult viewpoints, overlooking the true needs and experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth. Engaging youth directly in research is critical for understanding their challenges, advancing their rights, and developing social policies that enhance their well-being. Furthermore, the agency and space to influence what we produce, how we produce it and for whom, is paramount in participatory practices.
Our experience working with youth in participatory research projects has confirmed one undeniable truth: young people are fully capable of contributing to and standing at the forefront of scientific knowledge production and dissemination. Their enthusiasm, skills and motivation challenge the traditional notion of who is entitled to knowledge production. Our projects show how important collaborative spaces are in order for young people to engage with issues that affect their lives and see themselves as active agents in science and society.
Motivation
Our motivation to publish the book Queer and In Care as an open access work co-produced through collaborative methodology with researchers, practitioners, and young people who are experts by experience is driven by three main goals:
-
Broader accessibility: open access removes paywalls, ensuring that LGBTQIA+ youth, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and the public worldwide can freely access and benefit from the insights or our work. We think that this democratizes knowledge and supports social justice since it amplifies voices that are often excluded from traditional academic publishing, such as LGBTQIA+ youth.
-
Increased impact: we believe that when LGBTQIA+ youth share their perspectives directly, their voices resonate more strongly with professionals and decision-makers. Evidence shows professionals listen more attentively, remember these firsthand narratives better, and are more inclined to integrate them into practice, leading to meaningful change. The open access format ensures this knowledge reaches the widest possible audience.
-
Avoiding tokenism: collaborative authorship with young people as co-researchers centers their lived realities, preventing exploitative trayals common in traditional research.
Lessons learned
During the process of publishing this openaccess and co-produced book, our team has learned that it is essential to critically examine our roles as adult researchers and assess our capacity to adopt flexible and inclusive research practices. We have learned that our teams need to adapt, retrain ourselves to use language for all, create reflexive and caring places, reconsider who truly benefits from research and in which ways, and make sure that the timing of our activities works for the youth we want to involve. This accessibility goes beyond simple adjustments; it’s about creating spaces that respect their lives, schedules, and realities. And including these young people from the start of the research by building and shaping projects together.
Projects like these also require substantial support, including financial backing. Youth engagement in science production and dissemination demands a significant time commitment, and their dedication deserves proper compensation. This means building larger budgets that not only cover the costs of people affiliated with the research institute but also honor the contributions of the young people involved. Moreover, these initiatives require shifting the power dynamics in research. Engaging young people as co-creators of scientific knowledge requires that we try to dismantle the hierarchies of expertise that have long dominated academia.