Grassroots Numeracy

The readers and authors of papers in Numeracy compose a multidisciplinary grassroots interest group that is defining and illustrating the meaning, content, and scope of quantitative literacy (QL) and how it intersects with educational goals and practice. The 161 Numeracy papers that have been produced by this QL community were downloaded 42, 085 times in a total of 178 countries, including all 34 OECD countries, during 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. A scatterplot of normalized downloads per month vs. normalized total downloads for the eight years of Numeracy’s life allows identification of the 24 “most popular” of the 161 papers. These papers, which range over a wide landscape of subjects, were produced by a total of 41 authors, only nine of whom are mathematicians. The data clearly show that the QL community is not just a bunch of mathematicians talking amongst themselves. Rather the community is a vibrant mix of mathematicians and users and friends of mathematics. The heterogeneity of this grassroots community, and Numeracy’s commitment to serve it, dictates our mode of publication and the nature of our peer review. The journal is assertively open access for readers and free of page charges and processing fees to authors. The peer-review process is designed to provide constructive feedback to promote effective communication of the diverse activities and interests of a community that brings with it a multitude of publication cultures and experiences