As previewed in our End of Year Message, SSRN recently released a Special Topic Hubs landing page on our website. This exciting new update is designed to give users easy access to curated collections of pre-prints from the site, organised into Topic Hubs.

SSRN creates from four to eight Topic Hubs a year, addressing areas of particular interest given their relevance to current events or to the world calendar. These hubs provide easy access to articles relating to the topic, and drive higher engagement.

Shirley Decker-Lucke, Content Director for SSRN, said that “Special Topic Hubs are SSRN’s way of highlighting some of the great research on SSRN that is especially timely in its relevance to key global topics. We identify a topic, whether related to key events in the news or UN Sustainable Development goals, and then custom curate a collection of relevant early stage research around this topic. We truly believe that this new research has a positive role to contribute to advancing efforts to address global challenges.”

These hubs are presented together on the Landing Page (also accessible using the Quick Links footer at the bottom of each SSRN page):

The Coronavirus Hub collects together early-stage research into vaccines and treatments, as well as discourse on the wider implications of the virus.

The Race and Social Inequity Hub highlights pre-print articles from a variety of different disciplines that might inform the conversation about race and culture.

The International Women’s Day Hub, as per the UN calendar, presents pre-print articles pertaining to women’s rights and the ongoing discussion on gender equality.

The Climate Action Hub addresses early-stage research into the consequences of global warming as recorded by many different disciplines, including health and economics .

The Earth Day Hub highlights the investigation of green technologies, and all research pertaining to the theme ‘Invest in Our Planet’.

The Pride Month Hub, which champions the globally celebrated Pride month in June, collects research on the pursuit of equality and greater acceptance for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The Cryptocurrency Hub presents scholarship covering all aspects of cryptocurrencies, from functioning and usage to encryption and regulation.

The Disability Inclusion Hub promotes articles that address the rights and well-being of individuals with disabilities, driving awareness of their circumstances.

The Monkeypox Hub collects together early-stage research on the monkeypox virus to keep researchers and the public informed on its impact and progress with treatments.

The Environmental, Social and Governance Hub highlights articles which address how the ESG criteria can help socially conscious investors.

The Poverty Hub presents early-stage research into the rising inequality of opportunity and income around the world, highlighting the growing gap between rich and poor.

The Human Rights Hub focuses on pre-print articles relating to the inalienable rights that each person is entitled to, covering areas such as advocacy and politics.