0802 edvol nwo

Edited volumes

This information is for anyone involved in publication of an edited volume in the role of editor. Do you contribute as an author? Please select ‘book chapter’ as publication type. 

NWO also makes open access mandatory for edited volumes. However, the conditions are less stringent: an open licence is not compulsory, and an embargo period of up to twelve months is permitted. However, there is a chance that authors of individual chapters have to adhere to stricter open access requirements imposed by their own funder or institution. Check this first before choosing a publisher. 

Depending on the type of edited volume and the situation the authors are in, the following routes may be suitable:

  • Diamond open access    
  • Gold open access    
  • Hybride open access, for individual chapters and combined with green open access for the full book 
  • Green open access, within twelve months via the OAPEN Library 
  • Self-publishing 

Diamond open access 

What is Diamond open access? 

  • Publication is immediately open access. 
  • Publishing free of charge for authors and editor(s). 
  • Publication has an open licence (CC BY, if necessary CC BY-NC and/or -ND). 

How does the funding work? 

In Diamond open access the authors and editors do not have to pay publication costs. The publishers are funded by the academic community. Some publishers ask for a voluntary contribution. Check under Faculty policy to see if your faculty will cover this.

Where do I find publishers and more information? 

Gold open access 

What is Gold open access? 

  • Publication is immediately open access. 
  • Involves publication costs (BPCs). 
  • Publication has an open licence, preferably CC BY. 

How does the funding work? 

You are allowed to pay the BPCs from your research budget. If your book is published once your NWO contract has ended, you may call upon the book fund for an extra contribution of up to €10,000 Open Access Books | NWO. Note that conference proceedings are not eligible for funding. 

Please note: Some publishers also offer a ‘delayed open access’ option. This means that a book will be made open access after an embargo period at lower BPCs. We advise against this option due to the risk of ‘double dipping’. Is your budget not sufficient for immediate open access? In that case, delayed open access may enable you to meet the NWO requirements to publish open access within twelve months after all. However, NWO’s regulations are somewhat unclear on whether you can fund delayed open access from project budgets. When in doubt, contact NWO directly.

Where can I find publishers? 

In the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) you will find publishers who are experienced in publishing open access books. 

Hybrid open access 

What is hybrid open access, for individual chapters? 

  • The edited volume is published closed access. 
  • Individual chapters are made immediately open access upon request. 
  • Involves publication charges (CPCs). 
  • The open access chapters have an open licence.  Preferably choose a CC BY licence. The publisher owns the copyright on the closed access chapters. 
  • This route is always combined with green open access for the entire collection (see below). 

Hybrid open access may be a solution if individual chapter authors are required to meet stricter open access criteria than those set by NWO for the collection as a whole. However, we do not recommend this option in most cases, as there is a risk of ‘double dipping’. Please also note that hybrid open access alone is not sufficient to meet NWO’s open access requirements. The entire book must be made open access within 12 months. You should therefore follow this route in combination with the green route (see below).   

How does the funding work? 

Individual authors who want to make their chapter open access via this route are personally responsible for its funding. 

Where can I find publishers? 

Many traditional publishers who offer gold open access also offer hybrid options. In the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) you will find publishers who are experienced in publishing open access books.  

Green open access 

What is Green open access? 

  • You publish a book closed access with the publisher.  
  • No later than twelve months after publication, a version of your book must be shared via the OAPEN Library, a repository for books.   
  •  The licence for the open access version depends on the agreements you have with your publisher.   
    • Are you sharing the publisher’s version (‘Version of Record’)? If so, it will probably have the same licence as the closed version.  
    • Are you sharing the accepted manuscript? If so, it will probably be released under an open licence.  
  • Individual authors can use standard green routes (the Taverne scheme or Rights Retention) to make their own chapter openly accessible. They are responsible for this themselves. 
  • All options are free of charge for both you and the authors. 

What should do I do in my role as editor? 

Let your prospective publisher know as soon as possible that you are obliged to make your entire collection available via the green route within twelve months at the latest. In principle, the publisher has the right to reject your collection on these grounds. You should then negotiate with the publisher regarding the version (author’s version or Version of Record) and the licence for the open access version. The publisher will upload your book to the OAPEN Library.

If individual authors need to make their own chapters available sooner than twelve months after publication, they are responsible for this themselves. Please bear in mind, however, that publishers may object to the use of the Rights Retention strategy. You should therefore find out as soon as possible whether any authors intend to do this, so that no one is caught off guard late in the writing and publication process. 

Self-publishing 

For certain types of edited volumes, involving a publisher may not be necessary. Examples are conference proceedings or a festschrift. For these volumes, publisher services such as peer review and marketing are less relevant. Self-publishing them may be a good option.

What is self-publishing?  

  • You publish on an open platform. 
  • You do not use a publisher or the services a publisher offers. 
  • Your publication is immediately open access. 
  • This route is free for authors. 
  • The publication has an open licence (CC BY). 

How do I follow this route?  

Possible publishing tools include GitHub and Manifold. You can also publish your book as a collection in an external repository such as Knowledge Commons or Zenodo. Both are indexed in Google Scholar and assign DOIs to every upload; this ensures your publication is visible and discoverable. You can choose which open licence to publish under, preferably CC BY.