Towards the end of 2013, the Lever Initiative distributed an online survey to faculty members of Oberlin Group institutions asking for their views on monograph publishing. Over 600 responses were received, and highlight findings include:
- 34% of faculty say it takes 13 months or longer to get a book published
- 70% of faculty are interested in a ‘short form’ monographs
- 40% are satisfied with access to books via their library
- 50% think free publications are lower quality than those that require payment
- 78% would use Open Access books
- 82% would consider publishing with a new, innovative Open Access publisher
Full results are available here:
Survey_Results_Oberlin_Faculty_Jan14
A follow up survey to faculty associated with institutions outside the Oberlin Group had very similar findings overall, but some areas of difference. For this group:
- More were interested in digital publishing
- More authors get books declined
- There is less satisfaction with the current publishing options/services
- There is more acceptance that Open Access content is likely to be just as high as paid-for content
- There is less satisfaction with the current monograph format
- There is even more interest in short-form publishing
- There is even more enthusiasm for new publishing initiatives/a new Press
Full results are available here:
Lever Initiative 