Open Access Books differ significantly from traditional books in one key way: they are made readily and freely available on the internet. But how does this emphasis on online dissemination lead to increased visibility for Open Access Books?

In this article, we’ll explain what Open Access Books are; how they are given a platform through online libraries, databases, and DOIs; and how they benefit from increased visibility and impact.

What are Open Access Books?

An open access book is a digital version of a book that is made available for anyone with an internet connection to access.

Open Access Books come in various formats. Here at MDPI Books, we primarily publish Monographs and Edited Books. However, we also publish other Open Access Book formats, such as Textbooks, Project Reports, and Book Series.

The most important characteristic of Open Access Books is their accessibility. They are available worldwide, at the click of a few buttons, breaking down the traditional barriers raised by academic paywalls and institutional privilege.

The accessibility of Open Access Books is often made possible by the content being published under a Creative Commons license. This allows the public to share, adapt, and build upon the content, so long as the original author is credited.

The case for Open Access Books

Including their ease of accessibility, the case for Open Access Books is only increasing with time.

Take for example the importance of scientific research in today’s context. In our globalised world, scientists and researchers must keep abreast of the latest discussions and developments in any given field. Open Access Books allow for a constant stream of readily accessible and vital information to enter the research ecosystem, therefore having real-world impact.

Another key argument for Open Access Books is their ecological benefits and reduced carbon footprint. Open Access Books are generally more ecologically friendly than traditional books. This is because open access cuts the need to print and transport physical copies, therefore reducing carbon costs.

Now we know the positive impact of Open Access Books, let’s look at how they benefit from increased visibility and thus benefit authors.

What is visibility?

The visibility of an Open Access Book is ultimately defined by the size of its audience, the extent of its reach, and any engagement the research generates.

Visibility can be determined by looking at various metrics. These include an Open Access Book’s downloads, online mentions, and citations.

How Open Access Books benefit from increased visibility

The increased visibility of Open Access Books is achieved by utilising many different platforms and has various positive effects. But what are they?

Online libraries, database hosting, and DOIs

One primary way the visibility of Open Access Books is maintained is via the process of digitally hosting the content on various platforms. This process aims to make finding and accessing content as smooth as possible for general and expert audiences.

Online libraries, such as ours, function to aggregate all relevant resources into one location. Online libraries are convenient and inclusive, allowing users who may not be able to access physical libraries to access information. They are also flexible, since anyone with an internet connection can access research during any time of the day.

Furthermore, online libraries and their resources lend themselves well to academic contexts. Teachers, students, and researchers can easily download, share, and adapt the content for information retention or communication purposes.

Online databases, such as the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), are useful tools that make it easier for users to locate Open Access Books. Academic publishers provide the metadata of their Open Access Books to these centralised databases. In turn, this metadata can be integrated by aggregators and libraries into their online catalogues, making it easier for scholars and students to discover Open Access Books.

Finally, all Open Access Books are published with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). A DOI is a digital identifier of an object. DOIs are ‘actionable’, meaning they have a practical use. For example, if you input the DOI of an Open Access Book into a web browser, you’ll be taken directly to the object. This can save valuable research time for authors.

Increased citation impact

Another benefit of Open Access Books for authors is their increased citation impact. When an academic book is hidden behind a paywall, this means that less people can read and subsequently cite this research. This ultimately reduces the visibility of the book, since there is less opportunity for other readers to come across the original source in another author’s or researcher’s citations.

In a study looking at data over ten years, 420 million citations for 19 million research outputs were examined. The results showed that open access outputs receive more citations, in addition to those citations coming from more geographically diverse locations and varied fields of research.

SEO

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimisation, is a collection of strategies employed to improve a website’s visibility. The visibility of website products can also be improved through SEO. Here at MDPI Books, we use very effective ways of improving the SEO of our Open Access Books.

One method is utilising meta titles and domain reputations. A meta title is the text displayed on a search engine’s results page. For Open Access Books, the meta title helps readers locate a specific publication.

For MDPI Books, our meta titles take advantage of MDPI’s domain reputation. MDPI is a pioneer in scholarly open access publishing, with an established reputation and global reader base. This means that your Open Access Book benefits from high visibility.

Online marketing

Whilst traditional books can also benefit from marketing, Open Access Books are particularly placed to benefit from marketing strategies.

This is because most marketing strategies are executed online, making it easier to direct audiences to free-to-download Open Access Books. Online marketing campaigns, if successful, can also generate lots of traffic and thus increase the visibility of an Open Access Book.

The visibility of Open Access Books going forward

What’s next for the visibility of Open Access Books? Well, the outlook is positive.

In recent years, certain studies have found that the downloads, citations, and geographical reach of Open Access Books have significantly increased in comparison to non-Open Access Books. Now policy changes are looking to build upon this increase in visibility.

Introduced in 2024, the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) policy requires all UKRI-funded Monographs, Edited Books, and Book Chapters to be made open access within 12 months of publication. This policy aims to make research findings more accessible to the public and research community. And more accessibility ultimately means increased visibility.

To learn more about Open Access Books, see our dedicated section on the topic over on our Books Blog.

Interested in publishing an Open Access Book and benefiting from increased visibility? Begin your publishing journey with MDPI Books today.