Open Access

Our Commitment to Open Access

AvenSci Publishing supports the responsible dissemination of scholarly knowledge through Open Access publishing. We recognise the importance of making high-quality scientific research accessible to researchers, educators, students, professionals and the wider public without financial barriers to reading.

Open Access enables scholarly works to be consulted online without requiring individual readers to purchase access. It can contribute to the visibility, accessibility and responsible reuse of scientific knowledge across institutions, disciplines and geographical regions.

Our approach combines accessible research dissemination with editorial independence, scientific quality, transparent financial arrangements and respect for intellectual property rights.

Our Mixed Publishing Approach

AvenSci Publishing follows a mixed publishing model combining traditional commercial publishing with funded Open Access options. Our objective is to make scientific knowledge as accessible as possible while maintaining high editorial standards and ensuring the financial sustainability of our publishing activities.

During our initial development, commercial publishing will provide an important source of revenue through sales of printed and digital books. Open Access publication will also be considered when the necessary production costs can be covered through publication charges, institutional funding, research grants or other agreed financing arrangements.

All publishing models are subject to scientific assessment. The availability of funding or payment of publication charges does not guarantee editorial acceptance.

Understanding Our Open Access Models

1. Gold Open Access - Funded Publication

Under this model, an eligible scholarly book, edited volume or individual chapter is made freely accessible to readers in digital form under an agreed Open Access licence.

Publication costs may be financed through Book Publication Charges (BPCs), Chapter Publication Charges (CPCs), university or institutional support, research grants or other approved funding sources.

Any applicable charges, included services and financial responsibilities are clearly specified in a written quotation or publishing agreement before contractual commitment.

Where separately marketed commercial editions are agreed, any applicable author or Book Editor royalties are defined in the relevant agreement.

2. Diamond Open Access - No Fees for Authors or Readers

Diamond Open Access allows scholarly publications to be freely accessible to readers without charging publication fees to authors.

However, professional scholarly publishing involves real costs, including editorial coordination, manuscript preparation, typesetting, digital production, quality control and dissemination.

For this reason, AvenSci can consider Diamond Open Access only when sufficient institutional, academic-society, research or other external funding is available to cover the agreed publication costs.

Our longer-term objective is to develop partnerships with universities, research institutions and scholarly societies that could support sustainable Diamond Open Access publishing.

Important: Diamond Open Access is not an automatically available or unconditional publishing option. Each project requires appropriate funding arrangements and editorial approval.

3. Traditional Commercial Publishing - An Alternative Route

For authors who do not have dedicated Open Access funding, AvenSci also offers traditional commercial publishing under its standard publishing arrangements.

Under this model, AvenSci covers standard publication costs without imposing mandatory author-paid publication charges. Revenue is generated through eligible print and digital book sales.

Eligible authors or Book Editors receive royalties of 15% of net receipts from qualifying commercial sales, subject to the terms of the publishing agreement.

This model helps support the financial sustainability of scientific publishing while providing authors with a potential continuing source of remuneration.

For complete information about the financial conditions of each publishing model, please consult our Publication Charges page.

Open Access Publishing Opportunities

AvenSci may consider Open Access publication for authored books, research monographs, edited volumes, individual book chapters, thesis-derived works and other eligible scholarly publications.

A complete scholarly book may be made available in Open Access under the licensing, funding and contractual conditions agreed for that publication.

For edited volumes, Open Access arrangements may apply to the entire book or, where the publishing model and contractual framework permit, to selected individual chapters. Each contribution must have a clearly defined access status and applicable rights information.

The availability of an Open Access option does not automatically establish eligibility or acceptance. Publication arrangements are determined in consultation with the relevant authors or Book Editors and remain subject to editorial assessment and agreement.

Licensing and Reuse Rights

Open Access publications are accompanied by a clearly identified licence defining the rights and obligations associated with access, sharing, reproduction and reuse.

Depending on the publication agreement, AvenSci may offer appropriate Creative Commons licences or other suitable open licensing arrangements. Different licences permit different forms of redistribution, adaptation and commercial reuse.

For example, Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) generally permits sharing and adaptation, including commercial use, provided that the applicable attribution requirements are respected. More restrictive Creative Commons licences may impose additional conditions, including limitations on commercial reuse or the distribution of adaptations.

The licence selected for a publication must be compatible with the rights available, applicable funding requirements and the agreed publishing conditions. Authors and Book Editors should consider any relevant funder or institutional obligations before confirming a licence.

The applicable licence and attribution requirements will be identified in the publication agreement and associated with the published work.

Copyright and Author Rights

Open Access publication does not necessarily require authors to transfer copyright ownership to the publisher. Copyright ownership and the permissions granted to AvenSci are determined by the applicable publishing agreement.

Authors must have the legal authority to grant the rights necessary for publication, distribution and any agreed Open Access licensing of their contributions.

For edited volumes, the rights and responsibilities of Book Editors and individual chapter authors may differ. These arrangements should be clearly addressed in the relevant contractual documentation.

Publication agreements should distinguish copyright ownership, publishing permissions, licence conditions, permitted distribution and any restrictions affecting the scholarly work.

Authors remain responsible for identifying third-party content that cannot lawfully be distributed under the same licence as their original material.

Book and Chapter Publication Charges

Some Open Access publishing arrangements may involve publication charges intended to support editorial administration, scholarly production, digital preparation, publication and dissemination services.

Book Publication Charges (BPCs) may apply to complete Open Access books, while Chapter Publication Charges (CPCs) may apply where individual chapters are published under an eligible chapter-level Open Access arrangement.

The existence, amount and scope of any applicable charge will be communicated to the relevant parties before contractual commitment. Conditions may vary according to the publication format, editorial and production requirements, funding arrangements and agreed services.

Where institutional or external funding covers publication costs, author-paid charges may be reduced or eliminated according to the agreed funding arrangement.

AvenSci does not regard payment as a substitute for academic quality. Payment of a publication charge does not guarantee acceptance, favourable peer review or publication.

Where publication charges apply, the agreed financial conditions, invoicing arrangements and any relevant adjustments will be defined transparently before the parties become contractually committed.

For further information about publication charges for books, chapters, theses and conference publications, please consult our Publication Charges policy.

Editorial Independence and Peer Review

Open Access submissions are subject to scholarly assessment and editorial quality requirements appropriate to the nature of the publication.

Editorial evaluation may consider scientific relevance, originality or scholarly contribution, intellectual coherence, methodological soundness where applicable, research integrity and suitability for the intended readership.

Peer-review arrangements may differ between book proposals, complete manuscripts, edited volumes and individual chapters. The relevant review model is determined by AvenSci in accordance with its editorial policies.

Decisions concerning acceptance, revision or rejection remain independent of commercial considerations and the payment or anticipated payment of publication charges.

Book Editors and reviewers contribute scholarly recommendations within their assigned responsibilities, while AvenSci retains final publisher responsibility for publication decisions.

The complete publishing journey is explained on our Publish with Us page, including proposal assessment, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial decisions and production.

Third-Party Content and Permissions

The Open Access licence applying to a publication does not automatically extend to copyrighted material supplied by third parties.

Figures, tables, photographs, maps, illustrations, datasets and other incorporated material may be subject to separate rights, permissions or licensing restrictions.

Authors must identify such material and secure any permissions required for its intended use, including online distribution and any relevant forms of reuse. Permission to reproduce material in a commercial publication does not necessarily authorise its redistribution under an Open Access licence.

Where third-party material is excluded from the publication's general Open Access licence, the applicable credit line or rights statement should make this distinction clear.

AvenSci may request replacement, modification or removal of material where the necessary rights cannot be demonstrated.

Research Integrity and Ethical Standards

Open Access publications must meet the same expectations of scholarly integrity, responsible authorship and ethical research conduct as other publications considered by AvenSci.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their manuscripts, appropriate attribution, disclosure of relevant competing interests and compliance with applicable ethical and legal obligations.

Where relevant, publications should include information concerning ethical approval, informed consent, funding, research data availability and the use of generative artificial intelligence.

Concerns involving plagiarism, manipulated research material, undisclosed duplicate publication or other possible integrity issues may require editorial examination and appropriate action.

Open availability does not diminish the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, Book Editors or the publisher in maintaining scientific standards.

Open Research Data and Supplementary Material

Where appropriate, AvenSci encourages the transparent description and responsible availability of research data, software, protocols and supplementary materials supporting scholarly publications.

Authors should consider the data sharing requirements applicable to their research, including those established by funders, institutions, research ethics arrangements and relevant disciplinary standards.

References to suitable repositories, datasets, software resources or supporting documentation may be included where they improve the transparency and scholarly usefulness of the publication.

Data sharing must not compromise privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, research participant consent or other applicable legal and ethical obligations.

Where restrictions prevent public access to supporting material, the nature of those restrictions should be explained when relevant to the interpretation or verification of the scholarly work.

Discoverability, Metadata and Identification

AvenSci aims to support the discoverability of Open Access publications through accurate bibliographic information, clearly structured publication pages and metadata appropriate to the scholarly work.

Relevant metadata may include publication titles, author and editor names, affiliations, abstracts, keywords, publication dates, access conditions and licensing information.

Persistent identifiers, including Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), may be assigned where the appropriate registration arrangements are available and applicable to the publication.

AvenSci seeks to facilitate discovery through search engines and suitable scholarly discovery services, although inclusion in any particular external index, database or repository cannot be guaranteed.

Authors and Book Editors should provide accurate and complete publication information to support reliable identification, attribution and dissemination.

Accessibility and Long-Term Availability

AvenSci recognises the importance of making scholarly publications accessible to readers using different devices, technologies and assistive tools.

Digital production should take account of appropriate accessibility practices, including clear document structure, meaningful headings, readable presentation and suitable descriptions of non-text material where applicable.

Available publication formats and accessibility features may vary according to the characteristics of the work and the production arrangements agreed for the project.

AvenSci intends to support the continued availability of published scholarly content through appropriate technical and organisational measures. Specific preservation, archiving or external repository arrangements will depend on the services and infrastructure established for the relevant publications.

Open Access status does not, by itself, constitute a guarantee of permanent availability through any particular third-party platform.

Transparency and Publication Agreements

Open Access publishing conditions are explained before the relevant parties enter into a binding publication agreement.

The agreement identifies the publication type, copyright and licensing arrangements, applicable publishing permissions, responsibilities of the parties and any agreed publication charges.

Where applicable, the agreement also defines commercial print editions, royalty entitlements and financial reporting arrangements.

For edited volumes, arrangements may distinguish the responsibilities of Book Editors from those of individual chapter authors and address the licensing conditions applicable to separate contributions.

Any funding requirements, contractual restrictions or third-party rights affecting the publication must be identified and addressed before final publication.

AvenSci seeks to maintain transparent relationships with authors, Book Editors and research institutions, combining responsible Open Access dissemination with scientific quality, editorial independence and clearly defined publishing conditions.