An open-access monograph is a scholarly
monograph
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
which is made openly available online with
open license
A free license or open license is a license which allows others to reuse another creator’s work as they wish. Without a special license, these uses are normally prohibited by copyright, patent or commercial license. Most free licenses are ...
.
Concept
Open access
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...
is when academic research is made freely available online for anyone to read and re-use. As with
open access journals
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...
, there are different
business models for funding open-access books, including
publication charges, institutional support,
library publishing, and consortium models.
Some publishers, like OECD Publishing, uses a
freemium
Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...
model where the
ebook
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
version is made available for free, but readers have the option to purchase a print copy. Sales of the print version subsidise the cost of producing the book.
There is some evidence that making electronic editions of books open access can increase sales of the print edition.
History
While open access to journal articles has become very common, with 50% of articles published in 2011 available as open access, open access to books has not yet seen as much uptake. However, there are dedicated open-access book publishers such as
Open Book Publishers,
punctum books, and others who publish both books and journals, such as
Open Humanities Press. A report released in 2015 by the UK's main funding body for research, the
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in Engla ...
, states the importance of open access monographs: "Monographs are a vitally important and distinctive vehicle for research communication, and must be sustained in any moves to open access."
The OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) online library and publication platform provides access to thousands of peer-reviewed academic books, mainly in the humanities and social sciences. The OAPEN Foundation
also provides a directory of open access works via Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB).
See also
*
Open content
*
Openness
*
Open Educational Resources
*
re.press
re.press is a Melbourne (Australia) based open access publisher of contemporary philosophy (and some theory and poetry). re.press is an independent publisher that seeks to promote Philosophy, philosophical ideas through making many of its works ava ...
*
Open Library of Humanities
*
COPIM
COPIM (Community-led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs) is an international project funded by Research England and Arcadia Fund.
Following the principle of 'Scaling Small', the project aims to build not-for-profit community-owned, ...
References
Further reading
* "Monographs", p. 112 in
Martin Paul Eve
Martin Paul Eve (born 1986) is a British academic, writer, and disability rights campaigner. He is the Professor of Literature, Technology and Publishing at Birkbeck College, University of London and Visiting Professor of Digital Humanities at ...
, ''Open Access and the Humanities'',
Cambridge University Press, 2014.
* "Open-access monographs", p. 419 in Peggy Johnson, ''Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management'',
American Library Association, 2014.
External links
OAPEN Online library and publication platformDirectory of Open Access Books
* Open Access Directory
Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established in 1899 by clothing manufacturer John Simmons. In 2018, it reorganized its structure and changed its name to a university. Its ...
List of publishers of OA books
* Open Access Directory
List of OA book business modelsOpen Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook - Open Access Monographs
{{Open access navbox
Monograph
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
Book publishing