The International Conference on Electronic Publishing (Elpub) approaches its 21st anniversary. Elpub 2017 is the 21st edition of the conference and it will continue the tradition, bringing together academics, publishers, lecturers, librarians, developers, entrepreneurs, users and all other stakeholders interested in issues regarding electronic publishing in widely differing contexts. These include the human, cultural, economic, social, technological, legal, commercial and other relevant aspects that such an exciting theme encompasses.

Elpub 2017 will focus on the diverse perspectives about Open Science, one of the most widely discussed topics in research communications today. Despite the common claims that Open Science improves transparency and accountability throughout the research life cycle while democratizing the knowledge production process, empirical research and conceptual validation of these ideas has been limited. In addition, there is a growing tendency to conceptualise Open Science as a set of conditions waiting to be met, without regard for regional differences, including cultural and historical contexts of knowledge production. We, therefore, invite researchers and practitioners from diverse backgrounds to share their results and ideas at what we hope will be a highly interactive forum.