From Submission to Publication: Publishing Your Scholarly Book with MDPI Open Access Books

Publishing an Open Access Book with MDPI Books involves several key stages, from the initial submission of your manuscript to the publication of your work. Here, we will outline the typical stages involved in the process.

1. Submit your book proposal

The journey begins with the submission of your book proposal to MDPI Books. You should include details of the book, the number of pages, figures and references, contents, authorship model, the intended readership, and what the book adds to the existing literature. The proposal will be reviewed by the Commissioning Editor and may need some further development. Accepted proposals with secured funding will be contracted for publication. You can submit your book proposal here.

2. Manuscript submission

Next is the submission of your manuscript. You can submit your work through the MDPI Books online submission system, ensuring that it adheres to the specific formatting and submission guidelines (find the templates and guidelines here).

3. Pre-check and invoicing

Immediately after submission, manuscripts are checked for plagiarism, data falsification, reuse permissions for figures, inappropriate authorship credit, etc.

Manuscripts are invoiced after pre-check but before peer review. The invoice is generally paid by the author, an institution, or a funder. Accepted payment methods are as described in MDPI’s Payment Instructions. If the manuscript does not pass peer review, a refund will be processed.

4. Peer review

If your manuscript passes the preliminary assessment, it proceeds to the peer-review stage. MDPI Books employs a rigorous peer-review process, during which subject-matter experts in your field evaluate the quality, accuracy, and relevance of your work. Reviewers are asked to provide reports promptly, within weeks for chapters and months for Monographs. Reviewers can recommend: Accept, Minor revision, Major revision, or Reject.

We value transparency; if a traditional external peer review is not performed, it will be clearly stated on the book webpage and in the book.

5. Author revisions

After the peer-review process, you may receive feedback and recommendations from the reviewers. Revision is requested via email with a suggested timeline. You are then given the opportunity to revise your manuscript based on this feedback. MDPI Books values collaboration between authors and reviewers to ensure the best possible publication outcome.

6. Manuscriptacceptance

A final assessment is performed based on the comprehensiveness of the reviews; the overall assessment or the comments of the majority of reviewers; the authors’ response; and the overall scientific quality of the paper.

If MDPI Books formally accepts your work for publication, you will receive detailed information about the next steps in the publishing process.

7. Production

This process involves formatting, language editing (spelling, grammar, punctuation), crosschecking, proofreading, and typesetting. Our production team will format your manuscript into the final book layout, ensuring that it complies with MDPI Books’ publication standards. This includes creating an attractive cover design and formatting the content for print and digital versions. Editors and Monograph authors also have the choice to add a book index during this stage.

8. Publication: promotion and distribution

Once the book is ready, it is published online in open access on the MDPI Books website via our Open Access Library. This makes your work immediately accessible to a global audience, following the principles of open access. Physical copies of our books are also available to purchase from our Open Access Library.

We work with major distributors to make sure that our titles are listed on important wholesaler and retailer sites and the title information is sent to relevant libraries and institutions.

Furthermore, the title information is sent to international repositories and directories such as the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), OAPEN, and the Book Citation Index (BKCI) of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and PubMed’s NCBI Bookshelf, where appropriate. We distribute publications worldwide with a unique identification number (ISBN). Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are assigned at the book and chapter level; metadata are delivered to Crossref.

We also ensure that your Open Access Book receives extensive marketing. Our campaigns include social media announcements, blog posts, interviews, video abstracts, recorded book launches, and inclusion in newsletters. We also provide Authors and Editors with helpful tips to increase visibility and reach a wider audience, as well as digital and print marketing materials such as banners and flyers.

9. Archiving and long-term preservation

MDPI Books guarantees the archiving and long-term preservation of your MDPI Open Access Book. Your work will be stored and made accessible for future generations, ensuring its enduring value.

Here at MDPI Books, we want to give your vital research the platform it deserves. By publishing with us, we can guarantee not only the quality, accessibility, and long-term preservation of your scholarly work, but also that it will reach a global audience, enabling you to rest easy knowing that your research is making an impact out in the world.

 

Interested in publishing with us? Submit your book proposal with us today