Publishing Prize supporting information

Is this prize for me?

This prize is for those who are interested in the advantages that publishing an open access (OA) monograph could give in terms of career progress. There are currently expectations around a growing commitment to OA monograph publication by funders and for the next REF. If you are committed to maximum dissemination of your research to the widest possible audience but lack of funding for publication is a barrier then do consider applying.

It is important to understand the two elements of the prize.

The first part sees the selection of the final list of prize winning proposals. The second sees the proposal taken through the WRUP peer review and commissioning process, with the hope that this will result in publication of the monograph proposed.

The two parts of the prize are linked and submission of a proposal is a commitment to follow the process through publication, if you are selected as a prize winner. This means that your need to be able to commit to doing the work required to turn your thesis into a monograph, as these are very different research outputs.

You will have to engage with the peer review and editorial process, using feedback to develop the manuscript to its maximum potential. You must also be satisfied with WRUP as publisher. While the University of Leeds completely understands an academic’s right to publish where they choose, WRUP’s relationship with Leeds means they are confident in the quality of both the publication process and output, and in the cost effective model used. This maximises the number of prize winners we can support through publication. WRUP’s open access model also connects with the institutions’ commitment to supporting the open access agenda.

You will also have to commit to not submit your proposal, or others based on the same thesis or research, to other publishers until the shortlist is finalised. Prize winners will be committed to publishing their proposal with WRUP.

Entering the prize commits you to engage with all the elements. If you are not comfortable with any of the elements of the prize, please discuss your concerns or ask any questions before submitting by contacting: ecpublishingprize@leeds.ac.uk

What work will I need to do?

The amount of work involved will depend significantly on how much effort is required to turn the piece of assessed work into a monograph for a wider audience. This will differ depending on the research and how the thesis has been presented, but you will need to rework the structure and the way the research is presented.

There is a good deal of information available on what is required to turn a thesis into a monograph, and we recommend that you explore this information to make sure you understand what is involved. Thinking about this and capturing it in your proposal is a key element of the submission. It is important you feel able to undertake the work needed and that you will not place undue pressure on yourself given your other workload or commitments.

Here’s some helpful advice from a Leeds doctoral graduate who turned her thesis into a monograph:

Incorporating relevant feedback from peer reviewers and the WRUP Editorial Board will also be important to the success of the project, and you will probably want to discuss this with your Academic Mentor. This will also take time, which will differ depending on the scope of the feedback.

You will need to be involved in the stages of the production process. This includes a review the work of the copyeditor, indexer and signing off the typesetting work by proofreading the book. WRUP will be able to work with you to create a schedule that works around your other commitments.

There will be practical considerations too. If your thesis contains third party content, WRUP can help you make sure you have the right permissions to use this content in a published book, which will differ from those you needed to use for your thesis.

This may sound like a significant amount of work, and it may well be, but it will be required over different phases of publication, and WRUP will work with you to ensure the timescales are realistic.