A Research Network is a global, scholar-led community connecting researchers through conferences, journals, books, and the CGScholar platform. Each network fosters interdisciplinary dialogue around a shared theme—such as education, sustainability, or the arts.
Each network integrates four elements—conference, journal, book imprint, and online community—creating a continuous cycle of scholarly exchange that connects ideas from research to publication and practice.
You can join by attending a conference or by purchasing a standalone membership through CGScholar. Membership connects you to all publications and community activities across your chosen network.
Our networks are scholar-led and guided by international advisory and editorial boards made up of academics, practitioners, and researchers who shape the direction and standards of each community.
CGScholar is the digital environment that connects all Research Networks—supporting peer review, publishing, collaboration, and social knowledge exchange across disciplines.
Yes. Each annual conference is hosted by a partner university that provides intellectual leadership and a local context for global dialogue.
While most content is published in English, we also support bilingual initiatives—particularly English and Spanish—to expand access and inclusivity.
It’s a scholar-led, member-based system that sustains each Research Network’s independence while supporting shared publishing, conference, and digital infrastructure.
Membership is automatic when you register for a conference as a presenter, or it can be purchased as a standalone annual membership.
Standard Membership: $250 USD per year; Student Membership: $175 USD per year
Members receive conference discounts, publishing support, online learning access, and exclusive digital archives through CGScholar.
Members receive 15% off registration for any Common Ground Research Network conference worldwide.
Members earn 30,000 CGScholar Points toward publishing, 25% off Open Access book fees, and a one-year digital subscription to all network journals.
Members can join Meet the Author, Imagining Futures, and Learning Series events hosted by the Common Ground Media Lab.
CGScholar connects members through digital communities, peer review, publishing, and collaborative learning experiences.
Your membership sustains our Network's independence.
Yes. Memberships are renewed each year through CGScholar or during conference registration. (Memberships run for 12 months from the date of purchase.)
It means our Research Networks are governed by scholars for scholars, ensuring that academic values—not commercial interests—guide all decisions and activities.
Each network is headed by a Network Chair, supported by an Advisory Board and an Editorial Board, who together oversee research, events, and publications.
The Chair provides intellectual leadership, represents the network within the broader organization, and ensures its mission aligns with Common Ground’s values.
The Advisory Board offers strategic and scholarly guidance, helping shape conference themes, community initiatives, partnerships, and reviewer recommendations.
Scholars, practitioners, and institutional partners—both established and emerging—who demonstrate commitment to interdisciplinary and inclusive research.
Editorial Boards uphold the quality and relevance of journal content, advising on editorial policy, maintaining peer-review standards, and representing the journal internationally.
Members are invited based on expertise, contribution to the field, and engagement with the network’s conferences and publications.
Yes. There are also regular calls to submit to join our boards.
Universities, research institutes, government agencies, NGOs, and cultural organizations are all eligible to collaborate as conference hosts or network partners.
Hosts gain international visibility, contribute to intellectual leadership, and connect their institution to a global scholarly community.
We hold 24 annual conferences, each organized in partnership with local host committees and advisory boards.
Hosts collaborate on conference themes, plenary speakers, and logistical planning, supported by our team throughout the process.
A Research Network Partner is an ongoing institutional collaborator that supports a network’s publishing, event, and digital engagement initiatives.
Propose a partnership that aligns with your institutional goals and one of our networks, focusing on shared academic or community initiatives.
Founders create a new, self-sustaining network with its own conference, journals, and book imprint—supported by Common Ground’s infrastructure.
We provide publishing systems, digital platforms, branding, and administrative support to ensure sustainability and global reach from inception.
Yes. Many partners engage across disciplines, co-hosting events or contributing to multiple Research Networks.
Submit a Hosting or Partnership Inquiry Form, outlining your area of focus, institutional goals, and proposed timeline.