Effective Research Publishing Handbook

Publishing models for books are complex. There are various options from learned societies and open access publishers to commercial publishers.

If you would like to make a chapter from your book available you are welcome to put it in RIS/Cronfa. From July 2023 the university Research Publication Policy includes book chapters. 

Author's are strongly encouraged to upload outputs outside the scope of the REF policy to increase citations and to provide greater research visibility. 

Some things to consider:

• Who publishes the books you use most often.
• Do they offer peer review and/or have a good reputation. Colleagues can be a good source of information about publishers.
• Consider who your book will be aimed at and whether there is a market for it. Does the publisher have an international reach?
• Study the publisher's web site to find any advice they offer to authors. If you need a contact address to approach a publisher, many publishers can be found in the Academic Publishing Directory.
• Be aware that some publishers will only accept a manuscript if they are the only one being considered. 
• If there are book series in your subject area consider approaching the editor to see if they would be interested in your work - these often have a ready made audience.

Standard model monograph book publication information can be found on each individual publisher website. This information typically includes information relating to a book proposal, publishing guidelines and other author resources. 

Swansea University is proud to support the Open Book Collective a community-focused option for knowledge institutions, such as libraries, to financially support open access book publishing and help small to medium-sized publishers move away from a reliance on book processing charges and toward a Diamond OA model. It also supports groups developing open infrastructures such as repositories and catalogues for open access book publishing.

The Library has recently signed up to the Open Book Collective which is a community based organisation supporting several small to medium sized book publishers. Affiliated authors can claim a substantial discount on an open book fee with mediastudies.press, Meson Press, Punctum Books, White Horse Press, African Minds, Mattering Press, and Open Book Collective.

If you are not using a conventional publisher and need an ISBN for your publication the library can supply one. This might happen for example if you are publishing conference proceedings, a report or a specialist Swansea University publication in the repository.

An ISBN will be nationally registered and details available to booksellers. It is a unique product number which identifies your publication. 

When your publication is ready for the ISBN simply complete the application form below. Send the completed form to LibraryResearchSupport@swansea.ac.uk. You will receive an ISBN number and we will register your publication in the national ISBN database. The cost will be met by the library.

You remain responsible for distribution of your publication and for dealing with legal deposit http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/legaldeposit/. Note that there is a legal requirement to deposit any publication published in the UK with the legal deposit libraries whether it has an ISBN or not.

To decide if your output type is eligible for an ISBN before completing your request form visit the checklist for our provider Nielsen Book Data. 

If you are not using a conventional publisher and need a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for your specialist publication the library can supply one. This might happen for example if you are publishing conference proceedings or a report etc.

A DOI will be registered with Crossref. It is a unique product number which identifies your publication. 

When your publication is ready for the DOI contact LibraryResearchSupport@swansea.ac.uk. The cost will be met by the library.

The Think, Check, Submit website offer a comprehensive checklist tool to help you discover if you are submitting your research to a trusted publisher. Their Books & Chapters tool also permits you to download the checklist results.