Monographs, conference proceedings and publication series
This page addresses authors of monographs and editors of conference proceedings, anthologies and series. While OA has been established for journals for some time, OA books have only recently come into focus. In the meantime, however, there are various ways to publish monographs, proceedings and anthologies OA.
The simplest option is to publish a book online yourself on a suitable platform. Many universities and research institutions, such as Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), operate institutional repositories through which their members can publish their scientific texts free of charge. In addition, there are subject-specific repositories for a wide range of fields, such as Renate for Science and Technology.
Repositories usually offer good publication standards, assign DOIs and Open Access licences, and ensure long-term archiving, thus guaranteeing worldwide and permanent findability and citability. The preparation of the manuscript and the layout are the responsibility of the authors.
There is often a desire for a published work, either because the reputation of a publisher or a series is important for an academic career, or because publishing services such as editing, layout, printing, etc. are desired. Many publishers now offer Open Access models. This usually involves an e-book that is accessible free of charge and published either simultaneously or with a delay in addition to the paid-for print edition.
How do I find a suitable publisher?
Finding a suitable publisher for a book publication can be a challenge for authors and editors. In addition to a publisher's reputation, accessibility to the published work should also play a role.
DOAB
The Directory of Open Accees Books (DOAB) is the most important resource for finding out about quality-assured open access books that have already been published.
Publishing conference proceedings on TIB Open Publishing
Conference proceedings can be published via TIB's Open Access publishing platform, TIB Open Publishing. Conference organisers who would like to publish their proceedings via this service can find out more about the service on the service's website and can contact TIB Open Publishing at .
Publish conference proceedings and series of publications on repositories
As a (free) alternative to publishing with a publisher or via TIB Open Publishing, TIB offers all (current and former) LUH members the opportunity to publish their conference proceedings or series of publications in the institutional repository of Leibniz Universität Hannover. For publications in the subject areas of science and technology, TIB operates a subject repository in which conference proceedings and publication series can also be published.
How can I finance the BPCs?
Information on whether and how your Book Processing Charge (BPC) can be financed can be found in our Open Access Funding Checklist.
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 for secondary 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 author contract that you conclude with the publisher. These standard contracts often already contain corresponding clauses that can be adapted if necessary.
Services and information on secondary publication
- TIB offers all (current and former) LUH members the opportunity to publish their articles in the institutional repository of Leibniz Universität Hannover free of charge.
- In addition, the TIB operates a subject repository for all publications in the fields of science and technology, which is generally open to all authors free of charge.
- Further information on the topic of secondary publications can be found, for example, in this article on the TIB blog (in German).
