Criteria to examine when selecting a book publisher are:
It is common for JCU employees to receive unsolicited emails from publishers, inviting them to publish their thesis or other research.
Make sure you investigate these publishers before making any commitment. The information on this page and the Understanding Publishers page will help you.
The requirement of commercial publication for ERA is used as a surrogate test of quality, comparable to the peer review requirement for journal articles and conference papers.
A commercial publisher is an entity for which the core business is producing books and distributing them for sale. Commercial publishers take on a financial risk when committing to publish a book. To minimise risk, they have a selection process. Once a manuscript is selected for publication, the publisher provides copy-editing and proof-reading editorial support. Once published, the publisher provides further investment by marketing the book.
Self publishing, vanity presses and companies that specialise in the publication of theses do not have a selection process, provide little or no editorial support or marketing and so do not meet the definition of a commercial publisher under the ERA specifications.
Print-on-demand (POD) publishers use digital technology to print copies of a publication as they are requested. This is a cost-effective alternative because publications may be printed at the point-of-need, dispensing with the expense of warehousing and distribution. POD publishing is used by ERA eligible publishers and non-eligible publishers.
Self-publishing is when the author takes responsibility for publishing their work, independently of an established publisher. The Internet provides self-published authors with the opportunity to publish and promote their work.
Vanity presses usually charge authors a fee for publishing their work.
In choosing where to publish your research as a book or book chapter, be aware that your decision will determine whether the work will be counted for ERA as a Traditional Research Output (TRO).
In order for a book or book chapter to be eligible for ERA (as a Traditional Research Output), it must:
Books, for both the book and book chapter categories, must:
Types of books that are unlikely to meet the ERA eligibility criteria include:
Types of book chapters that are unlikely to meet the ERA eligibility criteria include:
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