Open Access Monographs

Trailblazers 2025

Trailblazers combines open access publication, to maximise the opportunity for impact from early career research, with a series of author boot camps, which will equip Early Career Researchers with the knowledge and skills to support the publication of their work throughout their careers. 

It is a joint initiative between the Universities of Salford, Liverpool, Lancaster, Liverpool John Moores, Reading and Wolverhampton with the humanities and social sciences publisher, Liverpool University Press (LUP). In January 2025, LUP was announced as the publishing partner of the British Academy's publishing programme. LUP publishes around 200 books a year, 50 journals, and more than a dozen digital collections. All books published through Trailblazers will go through the same rigorous editorial and peer review process as non-Open Access publications and will also be sold as print copies and authors will receive royalties. 

Selected Early Career Researchers will experience a transparent publication process, undergoing proposal and manuscript peer review, editorial guidance from senior commissioning LUP editors, as well as professional copy-editing, typesetting, and marketing, concluding in the publication of an open access edition of their work. A series of masterclasses by publishing and library professionals will cover everything from how to write a proposal and turn a dissertation into a book, right through to how to index and what alt-text means, plus invaluable guidance on marketing, library collection management, research metrics, and how an open access monograph will benefit your research career.

The scheme is open for expressions of interest from University of Salford PGRs and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in SHAS and SAMCT. LUP will work with chosen authors over summer to develop their proposal for review and commissioning in Autumn 2025.​ The first workshop will be held in June 2025 to welcome authors and introduce the publishing process.

The following specifications apply:    

• a total word length (everything except the index) of between 80,000 and 100,000 words
• a maximum of 20 black and white images (including maps, figures etc.)
• a subject area of humanities and social sciences (in line with LUP's publishing portfolio)
• first long-form publication by a PGR or ECR (using the UKRI definition of an ECR, with the book being the ECR’s first solo, long-form publication, completed within 8 years for their PhD)

Timeline for the 2025 Trailblazers cohort:

• Wednesday 30 April 2025 - Deadline for expressions of interest form submission.
• End of May 2025 - Outcome of expressions of interest submission.
• June 2025 - Boot camp delivered by Liverpool University Press to turn expressions of interest forms into publishing proposals.
• Autumn 2025 - Review of publishing proposals by Liverpool University Press, including external peer review.
• Early 2026 – Publishing Contracts signed. 

Submissions will be reviewed by your School, and you will be notified if you are to be put forward by the end of May 2025. We are aiming to select one proposal each from SHAS & SAMCT.

If you have any questions about the submission process, please email library-research@salford.ac.uk. For questions relating to publishing with LUP please email Alison Welsby, Editorial Director at LUP (awelsby@liverpool.ac.uk).

Good Luck!

Open Access Monograph publishing

Open Access publishing removes the need for purchasing or borrowing copies. It facilitates a diverse and increased readership, enabling impact and public engagement.

Funders such as UKRI and the Wellcome Trust now have open access policies for monographs. The next REF open access policy is likely to include an open access monographs requirement. See Funder Open Access for more.

The University is keen to support authors to make their monographs open access and meet funder requirements. Support for Open Access has advice for authors considering publishing their monograph open access.