The WellBeing International Studies Repository (WBISR) is a free, curated digital library bringing together essential historical and contemporary research on the well‑being of people, animals, and the environment. Designed to remove barriers to knowledge, the Repository offers trusted, interdisciplinary resources that support informed decision‑making across research, policy, education, and practice.

WBISR supports WellBeing International’s programs and campaigns and serves as the home of the peer‑reviewed journal Animal Sentience (founded in 2014). The Digital Commons platform hosts the Repository, which is used by more than 500 universities worldwide, ensuring long‑term reliability, visibility, and preservation.

Committed to the democratization of knowledge, the Repository makes all materials freely available to users everywhere. Its collection of over 6,000 documents has been accessed more than 4.8 million times by readers from over 35,000 organizations in 232 countries and territories. Indexed by Google and Google Scholar, WBISR is highly discoverable, allowing users to find relevant research when they need it most.

Animal Sentience

The Repository is also home to Animal Sentience, an open‑access academic journal exploring what animals feel and experience and why this understanding matters for ethics, law, and public policy. Editor‑in‑Chief Dr. Stevan Harnad, founding editor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Cambridge University Press), leads the journal. Under his editorial leadership, Animal Sentience has become a respected, accessible forum within the behavioral and brain sciences and related fields.

The WellBeing International Studies Repository would not be possible without the support of The Summerlee Foundation.