Open Access Monographs

Open Access Monograph publishing

Books and monographs benefit from open access in many of the same ways as articles. Open Access publishing removes the need for purchasing or borrowing copies. It facilitates a diverse and increased readership, enabling impact and public engagement.

There's been much more progress to date making articles open access as standard. But as funder open access policies respond to Plan S there's increased momentum to make publicly funded monographs open access. However, there are barriers:

• books operate on a much longer time scale than articles
• publisher processes for managing open access monographs are in their infancy and open access costs can be prohibitive
• there's a perceived prestige of publishing with established publishers using traditional publishing models
• copyright considerations, for example, the use of third-party copyright and the impact of adapted works such as translations.

Funders such as UKRI and the Wellcome Trust have requirements for monographs in their open access policies. REF have announced that an open access requirement for submission of longform outputs will be in place for the next REF, with implementation from 1 January 2029.  See Funder Open Access for more information about how to comply with funder open access policies.

How to make your book open access

The University is keen to support authors to make their monographs open access and meet funder requirements. We aim to ensure our investment reflects the University of Salford’s current and future research and teaching needs.

We therefore recommend that authors consider the following:

• Choose a publisher which doesn't charge a Book Processing Charge (BPC). Where can I publish a book open access without (necessarily) paying a fee? has a list of publishers who have funding models which enable authors to publish open access without charge.
• Consider green open access by self-archiving in USIR. Most publishers don't currently allow the whole book to be made open access. Many will allow the accepted version of an individual chapter to be made open access USIR via Worktribe. The OA Books toolkit describes the different publishing models available with suggested publishers.
• A CC BY licence is preferred as the least restrictive licence, but authors should consider carefully if a more restrictive licence is required. The Creative Commons Licence Chooser can help authors choose the correct licence for their work.
• Explore different funding options. The OA Books toolkit provides an overview of available funding. If your book or chapter acknowledges UKRI funding, you may be eligible to claim open access funding via the Library.

Are you interested in publishing your monograph open access? Before making any decisions or agreements with publishers, please get in touch with the Library via library-research@salford.ac.uk.

Trailblazers is an open access initiative providing early career researchers with the support and open access funding to publish their first monograph. It's a joint project between the publisher Liverpool University Press (LUP) and partner libraries, including Salford. LUP publish a wide range of subjects in arts, humanities and social sciences, as well the acclaimed Pavilion Poetry series. They're also the official publisher of The British Academy.

Trailblazers books:

• Go through the same strict editing and peer review as other books
• Are sold as print copies
• Earn royalties for authors

Selected authors receive:

• Support from senior editors at Liverpool University Press
• Professional copy-editing, typesetting, and marketing for their publication
• Masterclasses to support every stage of the publishing process
• Open access funding

Trailblazers is delivered on an annual basis, with a new cohort recruited each year. If you're interested in learning more about the scheme email library-research@Salford.ac.uk

Trailblazer books coming soon from Salford authors

• A degree of modernism: the building and buildings of the University of Salford, 1954-1976 by Simon James Hadfield
• Rewriting the Irish mother figure: dismantling stereotypes of motherhood and maternity in contemporary Irish literature by Katie Barnes
• Invalidated grief: exploring responses to loss at the intersection of intellectual disability and minoritised identities by Patience Udonsi
• Deconstructing the Poverty Industry by David Beck
• Playing Together: Interacting with the non-human through video games by Charlotte Gislam
• Navigating Complexity: Responding to Justice and Care Experienced Girls by Donna-Maree Humphery