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Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

What is JiscMail?

JiscMail is the national academic mailing list service, provided by Jisc.

Our aim is to support the advancement of world class education and research by facilitating free-flowing open discussions, knowledge exchange and collaboration.

JiscMail helps people working in education and research sectors to discuss, debate, collaborate and communicate with peers, experts and partners using mailing lists. Our mailing lists are themed around taught subjects, research areas, special interest groups and collaborative project activities. We only host mailing lists which support or enhance UK academic and research sectors

How does JiscMail work simple image

A mailing list is a managed email communication and collaboration tool, which supports groups of individuals who need to discuss and share information, debate a subject, or collaborate on a project.

A mailing list has a unique email address, so when an email is sent to the mailing list email address it's distributed to all of the subscribers, who receive a copy of the message in their email inbox.

JiscMail mailing lists support small and large group email communications, subscribers may be based within a single organsiation or located across multiple organisations (regionally, nationally or internationally).

JiscMail lists are individually configured, with settings which control: how to subscribe to the mailing list, who can post messages to the mailing list, whether messages posted to the list are kept in a web-accessible archive, and and how visible the archives are.

JiscMail run two main types of mailing lists, discussion lists and announcement lists:

  • Discussion lists enable free flowing discussion and debate between subscribers (members of the list) and are set up to allow subscribers to post new messages, and reply to exsiting discussion threads. Some discussion lists have moderation settings, this means that messages are moderated (checked) by the list owner before being posted to the list.

  • Announcement lists are used to cascade information, news and updates to subscribers. These lists do not allow subscribers to post messages directly to them, instead all communications are sent by the list owners, or other list administrators.

This website provides information and support to help you find, join and participate in mailing list discussions, request your own mailing list, and provides access to the mailing list system where you can manage your subscriptions or mailing lists (if you run any).

The JiscMail Helpline Service :

We support JiscMail users by providing a telephone and email helpline, run by the Jisc service desk, we deliver helpful information, advice, and support to help you:

  • Get to grips with the service
  • Find lists to join
  • Subscribe to mailing lists
  • Update your email address
  • Reset your website password
  • Change your subscription settings
  • Create a new mailing list
  • Rename your list
  • Archive or Close your list
  • Support list owners with mailing list issues
  • And more...

To contact the helpline, email help@jisc.ac.uk or telephone: 0300 300 2212, Mon-Fri 07:00 - 12 midnight

Why use JiscMail?

  • It's quick, easy and FREE to use
  • Once registered, you can manage everything by email
  • Find mailing lists themed around most taught and researched subjects including arts, humanities, geography, healthcare, medical sciences, technology, sciences, sociology, psychology and more...
  • Join thousands of individuals from academic and research settings, nationally and internationally
  • Find new opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in similar roles, beyond your own oranisation
  • Collaborate with others working in similar roles: senior management, teaching, research, administration, marketing, finance, grants, estates, libaries, IT, staff development, learning technology, student services and more...
  • Develop a broader understanding of the wider education landscape
  • Share best practice, expertise, ideas and information, ask questions, gain knowledge, explore opportunities, collaborate on research or just widen your own networks

Find a list and sign up today!