The OAPEN Open Access Books Toolkit – An Easy-to-use Toolkit Supporting Research Managers in the UK - Enlighten: Publications

The OAPEN Open Access Books Toolkit – An Easy-to-use Toolkit Supporting Research Managers in the UK   Within the UK, there is increasing interest in and uptake of OA book publishing amongst authors as commercial, scholar-led and university presses increasingly offer OA book publishing options for its authors. In parallel, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituents are considering OA for books as announced in its 2018 OA Policy Review. While OA book publishing is on the rise, a number of challenges persist, such as a lack of awareness and misconceptions about OA publishing amongst authors. To help authors better understand OA for books and increase trust in OA book publishing, OAPEN has created a brand new free online resource for book authors: The OAPEN Open Access Books Toolkit. This toolkit provides reliable and easy-to-find information, relevant both for researchers and those supporting researchers. It offers guidance at different stages of the research life cycle, such as planning and funding and publishing options. Moreover, this toolkit includes guidance on how research organisations support authors and it serves as a practical tool, which can be easily incorporated into local resources – all the more essential due to a shift to digital for researcher support services as a result of Covid-19