Book and conference contributions

Contribution to an anthology

Contributions to anthologies are usually written by different authors. As a rule, the contributions are compiled by the editors of the anthology. Similar to journal articles, the authors have the rights to their own contributions. Which rights are assigned is regulated in the license agreement. If an anthology is not published OA, authors must negotiate rights for a secondary publication, which are then also included in the license agreement or ensure that no exclusive right of use is transferred (see "If I do not publish OA, what do I have to watch for").

What do I have to consider?

Before submission

• Does the contribution fit the subject focus of the anthology?
• Are the editors reputable?
• Will I receive a DOI for my contribution?
• Does the volume appear Open Access or is there an Open Access option for my contribution?
• Does the book publication comply with the Open Access requirements of the institution or the funding body?
• Will there be any costs? Are there funding options?
• In particular, in the case of publication in a book for which a fee is charged, have author's rights been clarified?

When submitting

• Use an institutional e-mail address
• Are all authors listed and have their consent obtained?
• ORCID iDs specified?
• ROR ID specified, if applicable?
• Affiliations correctly specified? (according to the institution's affiliation policy)
• Sponsors named in the Acknowledgements?

After publication

• Recorded in the institution's research information system, if applicable
• Registration in ORCID?

How can I finance the book processing charges (BPCs)?

Various research funding agencies have as a funding condition that the research they fund be made freely accessible to the public (e.g. Plan S). In these cases, the costs of an Open Access publication can usually be covered by funding.

Conference papers

In the case of conference contributions, the organisers usually decide what is published and in what form. Contributions to a conference include presentation slides, posters, abstracts or the written elaboration of the presentation. Conference papers are often published in the conference proceedings, as the proceedings are often financed by the registration fees. Many conferences organise a peer-review process to ensure the quality of submitted papers.

Whether a submitted paper may be published in Open Access depends on the organisers. Authors should find out in advance whether and in what form their contributions will be published. In addition, conferences should be looked at more closely before submission in order to avoid submitting to a predictatory conference. Helpful in this context is Think. Check. Attend.

If I do not publish OA, what do I need to be aware of?

If you do not want to publish your contribution under a free licence, you should make sure that you reserve the right to republish your publication. A secondary publication (also known as self-archiving) is the republication of an article that has already been published by a publisher. You can reserve the corresponding rights by means of the license agreement that you conclude with the publisher. These standard contracts often already contain corresponding clauses that can be adapted if necessary.