Open-access monographs published by university presses in Spain

Here, we analyse the open-access model of publishing monographs by the members of the Spanish Universities Publishers Association (UNE). The study focuses on production data from 2015 to 2017, as well as the positioning and arguments of those in charge of the presses in relation to open-access publication of monographs, related policies and financing modalities. Data were initially collected via a questionnaire (with a response rate of 58% of publishers associated with the UNE) and includes in-depth interviews with seven of the respondents. The results show that 75% of UNE members publish open-access titles, and that most consider open access a good way to increase the dissemination of monographs (in terms of both views and downloads), as well as there being no differences in the quality of the content compared with non-open access. The respondents had doubts as to whether open-access publishing is compatible with commercial exploitation of the same material in printed format; and considered the most effective financing channels to be institutional funding (i.e., by the university), followed by university press funding, and author self-financing.

This study, originally published in the Spanish journal El profesional de la información, analyses the open-access model of publishing monographs by the members of the Spanish Universities Publishers Association (UNE). The study reveals a strong uptake of open access amongst Spanish university presses and that most of them consider open access a good way to increase the dissemination of monographs. 

Knowledge Exchange publishes here an English translation of the article as an interesting addition to our own work on open access monographs. We hope more studies from other countries will follow to complete the landscape at European level.