OAPEN-CH – The impact of open access on scientific monographs in Switzerland. A project conducted by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) launched the OAPEN-CH pilot project in summer 2014. At that time, it had introduced new funding policies that only covered books that were published online and openly accessible after an embargo period of no more than 24 months. The pilot study set out to learn more about the changes to academic publishing and pave the way for future adaptations to funding policies.

The findings of the shared learning process are now available. They are encouraging in that they produce a clear verdict for the scientific monograph: a digital edition that is freely available on the Internet increases the trackability, visibility and use of monographs. Open access does not have a negative impact on printed book sales. Facilitating and promoting open access will benefit the academic community and society at large as well as publishers and funders.

The results of the OAPEN-CH pilot study have already been integrated into the new open access policy of the SNSF, which entered into force on 1 April 2018.