Open access is instrumental in accelerating the dissemination and discoverability of academic works. It has enabled research in the form of articles to be instantly accessible for free, supporting the visibility and growth of academic journals in the process.

For book publishers, open access has been more complex to implement and adapt to. However, books are starting to benefit more from the increased dissemination and discoverability facilitated by the publishing model.

What is open access?

Open access is a publishing model for scholarly communication. Its main principle is making important research freely accessible to all.

The open access movement started in the mid-1990s to combat what was known as the “serials crisis”. This referred to a time when high journal subscription costs meant that libraries were priced out of buying important research and making it accessible to the public.

By removing paywalls and subscription barriers, open access allowed research online to become freely available to the reader. Open access made use of the internet’s ability to distribute information with ease, facilitating a transition to a more open and transparent model for the dissemination and discoverability of research.

Open access books

Just as academic articles in the mid-1990s needed to benefit from the dissemination and discoverability enabled by the open access model, so too did academic books.

However, establishing an appropriate model for transitioning books to open access has required more consideration and time. There’s still a huge amount of work to do to make the model comprehensive and feasible in the long term. Ultimately, this is because the process of making books open access is a lot more complex and nuanced than for journal articles.

Sustaining this extensive publishing model are book processing charges (BPCs). But what are BPCs? Well, BPCs are payments made to a publisher to cover the costs involved in publishing a book as open access. Such costs are usually covered by an author’s funding body or institution. These costs are much higher than those required to make journal articles open access. An example of a long-form publication, the monograph, costs approximately €8,500 to produce.

These costs go a long way, however. They guarantee that any book undergoes formatting and typesetting, English editing, and peer review, to name just a handful of the processes covered by BPCs. But importantly for authors, these costs ensure that publishers can maximize dissemination and discoverability for their books through various channels and strategies.

Dissemination and discoverability with open access books

Dissemination and discoverability are two terms you’ll come across often when reading about open access books. But what do they mean exactly?

Dissemination refers to the sharing of research with specific audiences via various channels, such as social media and marketing campaigns. Discoverability is how easy it is for users to find that shared research, mainly relying on search engines, indexing, and metadata. If dissemination is the method of communication, then discoverability is the technology available to ensure that communication is not lost.

Dissemination and discoverability for open access books are key. So much labor and time goes into making a book. It’s vital that its message is shared with relevant audiences, ensuring that information reaches those who need it most. Equally as vital is guaranteeing that these audiences can find such books in the short- and long-term.

Best practices for dissemination and discoverability

But what are some of the specific practices of dissemination and discoverability that publishers employ to maximize visibility for books? Let’s take a look.

Online libraries

Most open access publishers have online libraries where free-to-access versions of books are hosted. For example, the MDPI Books Online Library brings together digital and print versions of books in one place. Furthermore, books are searchable by format and subject area, making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.

Elsewhere, not-for-profit organizations such as DOAB have an online library where publishers can deposit their open access books. This library is much vaster than an individual publisher’s, hosting thousands of books all searchable by publisher.

Indexing and archiving

Indexing books is a great way to increase discoverability. By indexing books in notable and therefore easily discoverable locations, this significantly raises awareness and downloads for research.

Here at MDPI Books, we index our titles with Google Books, as well as other notable platforms such as CrossRef, EBSCO, WorldCat, and Scilit. Books that meet evaluation criteria are also submitted to Web of Science’s Book Citation Index (BKCI).

Furthermore, we ensure long-term digital preservation through the archives CLOCKSS and the Swiss National Library.

DOI and ISBN assignment

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit number used to identify a book. Assigning an ISBN helps with distribution, online cataloging, sales, and differentiating between various editions.

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) provides a stable link to digital content. For open access books, a DOI helps others access and cite the text.

Marketing campaigns

Some publishers will create marketing campaigns for open access books to increase visibility and dissemination.

Marketing campaigns can include a variety of content, such as blogs, interviews, and video abstracts. Examples of marketing campaigns by MDPI Books include our Environmental & Earth Sciences and Early Career Researcher campaigns.

Ensuring open access books remain visible

Vast amounts of time and resources go into making an open access book a reality. Therefore, ensuring open access books remain visible is paramount to the advancement of research and culture.

Both publishers and authors need to be aware of the best practices for dissemination and discoverability of research. That way, both parties will be equipped with the knowledge to collaborate on visibility and preservation strategies post-publication.

For further information on how MDPI Books increases discoverability of its open access books, see our article on SEO. If you’d like to benefit from maximum dissemination and discoverability, submit a book proposal with MDPI Books today.