Open Access for Books and Book Chapters
Open access is a route to making your research more visible. The University encourages open access where possible, and more funders are considering open access policies for books.
The cost of making the published version of a book open access can be prohibitive, but there are some options to explore.
The University policies for Research Publications and Copyright and the Code of Good Practice in Research may provide some support.
If you’re considering your options and you need any further support or advice, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.
Research Publications and Copyright Policy
While the initial focus of the University Research Publications and Copyright Policy is on articles and conference proceedings, you may consider using the policy to support open access to your long form publication. An article on rights retention for books and book chapters is available from the OA books toolkit. If you have any questions about applying the policy to books and book chapters, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.
Free route to open access through embargo
Some publishers permit authors to make book chapters open access after an embargo period. Publisher websites often contain information which may be labelled as the 'green' route. If you'd like us to help you explore this as an option, please email us at research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.
Funder Policies and Support
Other funders in addition to those mentioned below may have their own policies on and support for open access books. Please consult your funders’ guidelines for information, and if you need further support, contact us at research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.
Books acknowledging Wellcome Trust awards
Wellcome Trust routinely pay open access costs for books and book chapters. If you acknowledge a Wellcome Trust award in your book, please notify research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk before accepting any costs relating to open access.
Provide details of the publication (title, authors/editors, publisher, ISBN) and the funders’ reference numbers for any awards you acknowledge. Please also provide the open access fee if you know it. We will contact the Wellcome Trust on your behalf to check for confirmation that they will cover the cost of open access publication.
Monographs must be made available from NCBI Bookshelf and Europe PMC within six months of the publisher’s official date of final publication. Wellcome has an Open Access Monograph and Book Chapter Deposit Form to be used for inclusion.
For more information, see the Wellcome Trust open access policy.
Books acknowledging UKRI awards
UKRI require books and book chapters published on or after 1 January 2024 to be free to view, and download, from a website within 12 months of publication.
This can be achieved by:
- Depositing the accepted version in a repository
OR
- Making the published version freely available on the publisher website
A CC BY licence is preferred particularly if costs are being covered by UKRI.
Funding is available for longform publications that are published within seven years of the end of the grant acknowledged. If you have a case for exceptional circumstances this might be considered.
The maximum funding including VAT is:
Book Processing Charge £10,000
Chapter Processing Charge £1000
Alternative funding models charge £6,000 for first output, £3,000 for subsequent outputs in the same outlet.
It is possible to claim up to £2,000 towards rights clearance within the maximum levels of funding.
Note that if an invoice is received without VAT that may still need to be added on.
It is not allowable to top up from research grants. If research grants explicity include costs for open access to longform publications these must be used first before applying to the fund.
If costs exceed the maximum options include:
Negotiate the price with the publisher
Top up the funding from local sources (not UKRI grants)
Discuss options to share the accepted manuscript open access within 12 months of publication with the publisher.
Consider if an exemption applies.
Some funding may be available for rights clearance costs. However these costs can still be included in grant applications.
Authors can ask for funds in advance of acceptance or a publication contract being in place. UKRI require us to coordinate this centrally for the University.
Please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk to apply for funding.
Read more here UKRI Open Access for Books Process.
Authors should first read the guidance in the UKRI Open Access Policy to check if their long form output is in scope.
There are some exemptions e.g:
- If you already signed a contract with a publisher before 1st January 2024 and it does not facilitate open access then you will not require to be compliant.
- Trade books
- The output arises from a UKRI training grant.
- The output arises from UKRI Horizon Europe guarantee grant UKRI open access policy: frequently asked questions – UKRI
Third-party content within copyright should only be included under the terms that the rightsholder has allowed. UKRI have provided some guidance on managing copyright under UKRI policy. If you are permitted to re-use a piece of content in your publication, it is possible to include it under a different licence or under an 'all rights reserved' basis. There is a exemption available where reuse permissions are not obtained and a suitable alternative is not available. Please allow time to deal with copyright.
Some guidance on exemptions is available in the UKRI Open Access Policy annex 3.
The process for applying exemptions is self managed and authors should work with research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk to make and record a decision.
Books acknowledging EU funders
Open access requirements may differ depending on the Grant or Work programme the research is funded from.
Under the Horizon Europe ERC Work Programme, you must ensure open access to monographs and book chapters at the latest at the time of publication. Publication fees in full open access venues are in principle eligible for reimbursement: the costs must be occurred during the lifetime of the grant, and you must comply to other grant conditions.
Costs for open access costs under Horizon 2020 are eligible if incurred during the lifetime of the project, provided they are in line with the general cost eligibility criteria.
For more details, see ERC’s Open Access Information.
Scottish Universities Press
The University is a partner in the Scottish Universities Press.
Academics at Scottish higher education institutes can submit a proposal.
https://www.sup.ac.uk/submit-a-monograph-proposal
If you are a member of staff or student at the University of Glasgow interested in publishing a book with The Scottish Universities Press, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk to find out what support is available.
The University of Glasgow is represented on the management and editorial board.
A short video of the Scottish Universities Open Access Press initiative is available on YouTube.
Open Book Publishers Library Membership Programme
The University of Glasgow subscribes to the Open Book Publishers Library Membership Programme.
In some cases, this tool has been used to make previously out of print books available online in a new edition.
Book publishing charges are not mandated. Books are not accepted or rejected on the basis of ability to pay. Authors are encouraged to try to get grants to cover costs of publication where possible.
OAPEN Open Access Books Toolkit
The OAPEN Foundation has launched a new open access (OA) books toolkit for researchers and academic book authors. The toolkit is a free-to-access, stakeholder-agnostic resource that aims to help authors better understand OA for books, increase trust in OA book publishing, provide reliable and easy-to-find answers to questions from authors, and to provide guidance on the process of publishing an OA book.
The toolkit was created in collaboration with Springer Nature and The University of Glasgow and has been written by a global and diverse group of stakeholders from the academic community and scholarly communications organisations.