Writing or editing a book is a major commitment of time and resources. In some disciplines, publishing a book is important to establishing your academic profile. If you decide to take on the task of working on a book, you need to make sure that it will count towards your academic performance or that it will contribute to your reputation. Editing a book will generally not itself be counted as a traditional research output in its own right but may help establish relationships with people in your field. Book chapters will count as research outputs but are statistically less likely to be cited than journal articles.

Choosing a quality publisher is an essential component of good publishing practice. There is no definitive list of quality publishers, but Scopus and Web of Science do maintain lists of publishers that are included in their indexes. In most cases you should aim for a well-known university press or major commercial scholarly publisher. Rather than relying on a single list, use multiple sources to investigate the best publishers to submit your manuscript to. Information in this guide will assist with this process.

If you are not able to get a contract with a quality publisher, it might be necessary to re-consider your intended topic. Use the feedback from publishers to help you identify publishable topics in your area of expertise.

! THINK ✓ CHECK > SUBMIT has a checklist tool for books & chapters that helps assess whether or not a publisher is suitable for your research.