In a recent meeting with Kirstine McDermid (K.J.McDermid@leeds.ac.uk) from the University of Leeds, I learned about some publisher guidelines that they’ve produced for prospective and current authors working with their library publishing program: University of Leeds Open Books guidelines.docx - Google Docs . I found it very thorough and really impressive, with sections on a wide variety of topics, including:
- Mission and Approach – Overview of the University of Leeds Open Books’ Diamond Open Access model, commitment to equitable knowledge access, and distinct publishing philosophy.
- Submission Guidelines – Criteria for submitting proposals, eligibility requirements, and accepted content types.
- Publishing Support – Details on training, copy editing, proofreading, and formatting assistance provided by the Libraries Open Education Team.
- Editorial/Peer Review Process – Explanation of editorial and peer review processes, criteria for evaluation, reviewer selection, and transparency in feedback.
5.Copyright & Licensing – Intellectual property rights, recommended Creative Commons licenses, and attribution requirements. Also includes information about their policies for repurposing and modifying existing openly licensed content. - Tracking & Impact – Monitoring usage, derivative works, and global impact of published books.
- Preservation & Archiving – Use of CLOCKSS, Internet Archive, and DOIs for long-term accessibility.
8 Discoverability – Inclusion of books in library catalogs, open-access repositories, and search platforms. - Accessibility Standards – Compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines, multiple format availability, and inclusive design practices.
- Takedown Policy – Grounds and procedures for content removal requests, including copyright infringement and harmful content.
I’m sharing this as I think it may be of interest to other @EDU_Managers in this forum. Anyone else have similar guidelines or documents that guide your editorial work at your institution?