Publishing with the Libraries

About our proposal process

As an online-first, diamond open-access publisher, we are committed to advancing the principles of open access, transparency, and copyright retention. We seek to promote the publication of high-quality scholarly works to readers across Minnesota and across the globe and support scholars through free and independent access to the means of publication.

Prospective authors and editors are required to have a consultation with Publishing Services before submitting a proposal. To schedule a consultation, email [email protected].

Who is eligible to submit a proposal?

• Faculty members, staff members, students, departments, centers, or colleges associated with the University of Minnesota. (Students require sponsorship from department or faculty advisor.)
• Nonprofit, scholarly societies. (To qualify for support from Publishing Services, a UMN affiliate must have ties to the society and publication.)

What types of publications will be considered?

Scholarly monographs, books and edited volumes: We encourage authors and research teams to submit proposals for books that will contribute significantly to their respective fields. We are especially interested in projects that will offer authoring opportunities to scholars who have traditionally been underrepresented in the scholarly record or that will add depth to the Libraries' existing collections in a particular discipline. 

Scholarly journals & conference proceedings: We are interested in proposals for new or existing scholarly journals and conference proceedings. We especially welcome proposals from scholars working in interdisciplinary areas and in subject areas with a limited number of available open access publications. Publishing Services may also review proposals from UMN-affiliated editors of existing journals interested in our diamond open access model.

Other digital scholarly projects: Valuable scholarship may not look like a book, a journal, or an article. Instead, it may take the form of an exhibition catalog, a bibliography or syllabus, or a new reference text. 

What publishing services are offered?

• Web hosting
• Peer review and content management systems 
• Planning and support for intellectual property rights
• Backfile upload
• Creation and management of standard identifiers (e.g., ISSN, DOIs, etc.)
• Usage statistics report for editor(s)
• Digital preservation 
• Search engine optimization
• Index/database inclusion
• Author/editor support

• Graphic Design Services
• Print-on-demand
• Custom Software Development
• Layout & Typesetting of individual works
• JATS XML (for PubMed)
• Development of Figures/Charts/Graphs
• Plagiarism Detection
• Copyediting
• Proofreading
• Print proofs

During the proposal review process, an estimated budget will be shared with the Steward of the publication. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing will not assist in the management of the publication (e.g., recruiting content, finding editorial staff, enlisting reviewers, marketing the publication, etc.).

Access and licensing

All content published by University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing is openly available to view and read. Unlike traditional online publishers, readers do not need to register or pay to view content. Additionally, many of our works are openly licensed using Creative Commons Licenses. Creative Commons Licenses allow authors/editors to describe how the work may be reused. Depending on the type of publication, publication goals, and editorial decisions, readers will find a range of Creative Common Licenses. For information on the licensing attached to individual works, please visit our Published Works site and visit the record page for each title. 

The copyright of individual works published by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing remains with the original creator or editorial team. Content published by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing can be deposited by the original creator or editorial team in institutional and subject repositories. For uses beyond those covered by law or the Creative Commons license, permission to reuse should be sought directly from the copyright owner listed in the About pages.

Preservation

The University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing works with Portico to preserve content for longterm access.

Selection criteria

Proposals will be reviewed within the Libraries by the Publishing Services Team members, subject liaison Librarians, and Libraries Administration. Proposals will be reviewed on the following factors:

Quality and variety
The Libraries selects proposals representative of the excellent and diverse scholarship the University produces.

Community value and support
The Libraries looks for proposals that align with the University’s strategic goals, offer unique value to a field or discipline, and offer value to the wider community.

Capacity and complexity
With consideration for the formats we can support, the Libraries will balance the number of new publications we can develop with how complex each project will be to undertake. Innovate forms of scholarship are encouraged.