Welcome to Open Access Week 2019! This internationally celebrated week was established in order to raise aware about open access publishing and encourage discussion. Last year we conducted a survey to gauge what our readers and authors really know about open access publishing at AU Press. The responses were useful for determining what information authors and readers are most interested in and we were able to put together an FAQ to mitigate some of the misunderstandings around open access publishing at AU Press.
AU Press is proud to be the first open access press established in Canada. Within the disciplines of the social sciences and humanities, open access has come to mean the publication of material online that is free to the reader. However, not every publishing entity approaches open access the same way. Here at AU Press, we are committed to the publication of original scholarship in both print and digital formats. Our dissemination model is generously supported by our parent institution, Athabasca University—an institution with an open education mandate that actively seeks ways to reduce barriers to education and that has shown great leadership in its support of open scholarship.
What is open access publishing?
AU Press is committed to gold open access, as it is practiced in the social sciences and the humanities. Gold OA is the free, immediate, and permanent online access to a publication’s version of record. All our books can be read online or downloaded as a free PDF. Our commitment to access also influences our pricing of the print edition and other digital editions. To protect our publications and the rights of our authors, we release all material under a Creative Commons license.
How much does it cost to publish an open access monograph?
Open access material is freely accessible but not free to produce! Our publication process does not differ from other university presses, therefore the costs associated with publication are similar. For a useful report on the average costs of producing a scholarly monograph, see the ITHAKA S+R Report on “The Costs of Publishing Monographs: Toward a Transparent Methodology.”
Does AU Press require me to bring funding for my book?
No. AU Press operates in Canada and is eligible for support through several granting agencies both provincial and national. Support from these agencies is contingent upon the citizenship of the author or editor. As a result, citizenship of the author or editor is a factor in our publishing decisions, particularly when we examine the financial viability of a proposal. However, we will work with prospective authors to seek funding and support when required and we remain open to considering the work of scholars outside of Canada.
Will my open access AU Press book be available in print?
Yes! In fact, AU Press distributes its publications in a variety of formats. In addition to making our books available for reading online, we offer readers the choice of a print edition and/or access to the publication in a digital form on many different platforms.
What is the peer review process at AU Press?
AU Press is committed to scholarly and editorial excellence. Our publications undergo rigorous peer review by at least two peer experts. The experts must produce a report, which the author/editor will have a chance to respond to. The reports and the author’s response are then presented to the AU Press editorial committee, which makes a publishing recommendation to the Press. The decision to publish rests with the Press.
Does publishing in open access make my work vulnerable to misuse?
AU Press allows authors and editors to retain copyright. We release all our publications under a Creative Commons license. Creative Commons has been involved in conversations surrounding the open movement since the very beginning. Their licenses are used to protect many open access materials. The majority of AU Press publications are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license encourages users to download and share material with others as long as it is properly attributed and there is no charge for its use.
Why should I choose to publish in open access with AU Press?
Although AU Press is exploring open access and the many opportunities for the dissemination and sharing of knowledge that it presents, we remain committed to the university press mission of publishing works of scholarly, intellectual, and creative merit. Our not-for-profit status also assures authors that neither they nor their work will be used to produce financial gain for the Press, nor will it co-opt the original intentions of the open access movement by monetizing it.
