Publishing Open Access Books: Retrospective Open Access

<Back to Publishing Open Access Books FAQ's

When you convert your previously published book or chapter to open access, you are unlocking your research to be discovered online by researchers across the globe. It involves the payment of a book processing charge (BPC), the copyright of the work being signed over to the authors and selecting a Creative Commons licence to protect the work.

There are many funding options available to help you cover these fees and our team is here to help you navigate the funding landscape. To discover more about funding options, look at our dedicated funding page which explores key questions and where to look for open access funding options. 

The print copy of the work is still available for purchase when you convert your research to open access. Royalties will still be payable on all print copies sold, as with traditionally published work.

Every title Taylor & Francis publishes, whether it is published open access or traditionally, must undergo the first 4 steps in order to be accepted for publication.

• Initial peer review
• Discuss reviews
• Accepted after an Editorial Board Meeting
• Contract signed

If your work has already been published by Taylor & Francis, then there is no need for the work to go through a second peer review process to convert your content to open access as there will be no changes or additions to the content for the open access version.

1. Your contract will be updated with an open access addendum - this will set out the Creative Commons licence that you wish your work to be published under. More information about the Creative Commons licenses we offer can be found here .
2. Your editorial contact will take you through how to pay the BPC.
3. Your work will be converted to open access under the licence of your choice. In practical terms this means that the title will be flagged as open access on Routledge.com with an open access symbol and readers will be able to access your work on our eBook platform TaylorFrancis.com, where we have universities and corporations around the globe subscribing to reach researchers, professionals and students.

Once the title is converted, it doesn’t stop at Taylor & Francis platforms. We send a record of your work to OAPEN and the Open Research Library, two of the biggest open access books repositories. We also have 30+ metadata feeds to platforms such as Google Scholar and Amazon where readers outside of academic institutions can access your work, benefiting independent researchers across the globe.

Our marketing department will highlight new open access content to readers through multiple channels and include open access work in subject and topical based collections. We will be able to feed back where your work has been read around the globe so you can track the impact of your research.
One of the benefits of open access is the ability to share and collaborate with people. Links to the book can be shared on social media, blog posts and cited in research letting you track the impact of the work through altmetrics.  
 

The BPC pays it forward. It enables researchers to discover the work and not be barred by subscription fees or download costs.

• This equalises the research landscape and enables collaboration as it means that both independent researchers and those affiliated at different institutions can access your work. They are not dependent on the subscriptions that the institutions pay for, or one party paying to access research that may not be relevant.
• It opens the readership of your work. As your work can be found online without barriers, it means that the general public will be able to access and explore your research allowing learners to upskill in the areas that interest them without the financial constraints that may hold some back.

 It covers the cost of the hosting your content and continually making it discoverable. This includes technological and format updates to ensure your work can be read for years to come. We are committing to the long-term preservation of your work through a range of third parties including LOCKSS, CLOCKSS and Portico in order to keep your work safe and accessible.

For work converted to open access retrospectively Taylor & Francis operate a tiered discount system.

Time after publication 

Full Book
Delayed OA | 12 - 24 months | 30% Discount
Delayed OA | 24 - 36 months | 50% Discount
Delayed OA | 36 months + | 70% Discount

Chapter
Delayed OA | 12 - 24 months | 30% Discount
Delayed OA | 24 - 36 months | 50% Discount
Delayed OA | 36 months + | 70% Discount

To request a BPC quote for your title, please contact the Open Access Books Team

Taylor & Francis is committed to bringing research by scholars in emerging nations to the attention of the global academic community. We also want to make the option to publish open access available to as many researchers as possible. To help achieve this we offer discounts on the BPCs normally required to publish in the Taylor & Francis Books Open Access programme for funders with primary affiliations based in countries defined by the World Bank as ‘Low-Income Economies’ or ‘Lower-Middle-Income Economies’. Your editor will be able to let you know if you are eligible for any discounts.