Humanities scholars could lose potentially career-making opportunities to publish their first book if proposed new open access rules for the UK’s next Research Excellence Framework are implemented, academics have warned.
For the first time in the REF’s history, those who wish to submit monographs or longer-form outputs to the national research audit must make them free to read within two years, under funders’ plans. Trade books will be exempted from the rules, but scholars have nonetheless raised concerns that cash-strapped humanities departments may be unable to provide funds for open access publishing, for which publishers can charge upwards of £10,000 a book.
“At a time when universities, publishers and individual academics are all under financial pressure, the decision to bring monographs into scope for open access raises many questions about how that will be funded, and whose monographs will be prioritised if money is tight,” said Catherine Fletcher, professor of history at Manchester Metropolitan University.
“This is a particularly pressing issue for early career researchers, who often write first monographs during several short-term contracts. Which institution will take responsibility in those cases?”
