Free The Inquiry is Heterodox Academy’s home for essays, expert commentary, and conversations about open inquiry in the academy.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 286 | Founded | 3 years ago | Last Issue | 10 days ago |
| Active | |||||
Read this Newsletter
heterodoxacademy.substack.comLatest Issues
The Academic Value of Trust
Editor’s note: Below is a preview of an opinion piece published Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at Inside Higher Ed. To read the full article, click here.
The concept of trust is front and center in contemporary discussions about the crisis in highe...
What Will It Take to Restore Universities to Their Core Purpose?
What is the true purpose of a university, and what happens when that purpose gets muddled? Those questions sat at the heart of Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier’s keynote at the Heterodox Academy 2026 West Coast Regional Conference, he...
Heterodox Research Roundup, April 2026
Welcome to the second installment of our new Research Roundup series, in which we take a quick look at some of the latest research findings on all things heterodox social science!
In a sweeping meta-science undertaking, about hal...
Principles, Not Politics: West Coast Scholars Gather at Berkeley to Talk Reform
In lieu of The Weekly, I’m recapping the HxA West Coast Conference that took place at UC Berkeley last week.
The 80+ scholars who gathered at UC Berkeley for HxA’s West Coast Regional Conference didn’t come to vent or to mourn a los...
The State of Institutional Neutrality in 2026
Nearly sixty years after institutional neutrality was articulated in the 1967 Kalven Report, institutional neutrality has become more visible, more contested, and more politicized than at any point in its history. Institutional neutrality c...
Key Facts
Audience Metrics
Subscribers, engagement, traffic and sponsorship for Free the Inquiry.
| Subscribers | Engagement | 78 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts Sponsors | Estimated Cost per Ad | ||||
SEO Reach
Where Free the Inquiry ranks on Google, and how much search traffic it brings in.
| Ranked Keywords | 900 | Monthly Search Traffic | Top Keywords |
|---|
Chart Rankings
How this newsletter ranks in the official Substack charts.
| #45 |
Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Free The Inquiry, by Heterodox Academy, is devoted to the defense and advancement of open inquiry in higher education.
Erin B. Shaw is a Research Associate at HxA. Her background is in education research and survey methods.
Phong P. Truong is a Resource Developer at Heterodox Academy.
Scientist. Researcher. Social Psychologist. Writer. Podcaster. Heterodox.
John K. Wilson is the author of eight books, including The Myth of Political Correctness: The Conservative Attack on Higher Education, Patriotic Correctness: Academic Freedom and Its Enemies, and his forthcoming book, The Attack on Academia.
Justin McBrayer is an academic philosopher and the Director of University Partnerships at Heterodox Academy.
A social scientist interested in books, education, and science. Director of Communications at Heterodox Academy.
Clinical social worker and psychotherapist residing in northern Colorado.
Retired from internal medicine clinician educating but not from arguing about medical professionalism, medical education, and medical politics, policy and ethics.
Shiri Spitz Siddiqi is a Senior Researcher at Heterodox Academy. She is a social psychologist with expertise on political bias, affective polarization, and moral judgment.
Social
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I access the email archive for Free the Inquiry?
You can find recent issues that have been published by Free the Inquiry on Reletter by scrolling up to where it says Latest Issues. Tap on the link for any of the most recent emails or hit More Issues to see older ones.
How many subscribers does Free the Inquiry have?
To see how many people subscribe to Free the Inquiry, simply upgrade your Reletter account. We provide readership numbers and lots of other stats for this newsletter so you can decide if it's worth reaching out to.
How can I advertise in Free the Inquiry?
Newsletter advertising can be extremely effective when it's done right. Before you pitch Free the Inquiry as a potential sponsor or partner, make sure that you've done your research and checked its newsletter stats with Reletter.
Then, personalize one of our winning pitching templates and send it to the right person using the contact info provided.
How much does it cost to sponsor a publication like Free the Inquiry?
Newsletter ad rates (or CPM) vary depending on many factors, including industry, number of subscribers, open rate, ad placement and more.
To find out how much an ad will cost, contact Free the Inquiry using the contact information provided and ask for a copy of their media kit.
How can I find newsletters related to Free the Inquiry?
Scroll up to where it says Related Newsletters to see other publications like Free the Inquiry. You can also search our email newsletter directory to discover other newsletters that cover the topics you're interested in.
How do I contact Free the Inquiry?
Reletter provides this newsletter's website URL above, where you will often find their contact information. We also provide links to associated social media accounts and pitching templates so you can reach out fast.