Frequently Asked Questions
You have questions about Melusina Press, its services, or you want to know how to publish with us? Below, you find answers to frequently asked questions. In case you do not find what you are looking for, do not hesitate to contact us.
About Melusina Press
What is Melusina Press?
Melusina Press is the hybrid, multimodal, Open Access initiative of the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) of the University of Luxembourg.
What is Hybrid Publishing?
Hybrid Publishing is a cross-media and cross-format strategy to contemporary scholarly publishing. Hybrid Publishing respects the fact that different media - digital or print - work well for different types of engagement with publications and that digital formats do not replace print publications. Starting with digital formats such as PDF, EPub, HTML and TEI/XML Melusina Press will, therefore, soon begin to publish selected works in print as well.
What is Multimodal Publishing?
Melusina Press extends the idea of Hybrid Publishing to the structure of publications themselves. Accordingly, digital technologies offer new possibilities to design publications and make it possible to publish other resources, such as multi-media or datasets. Melusina Press supports the publication of types of publications that meet different research requirements and communication goals while assuring the integrity of scientific communication and sustainability of the publication itself.
What Open Access model does Melusina Press comply with?
Melusina Press follows an Open Access model that is often called Diamond Open Access. Melusina Press has institutional support and does not depend on fees, such as article-processing charges (APCs), common in the area of Open Access publishing. Melusina Press is convinced that these charges are neither beneficial for the goals that are at the centre of the Open Access movement - to facilitate an open knowledge culture - nor are they suitable within the political economy of publications in the humanities. Consequently, publishing with Melusina Press is free of charge for authors in most cases (exceptions may arise from special demands by authors that substantially deviates from Melusina's publishing workflow.)
Are you a Non-Profit organization?
Legally, Melusina Press is a body of the University of Luxembourg and thus a public institution. Our main mission is to provide research, connected to the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE), the University of Luxembourg and to Luxembourg with state-of-the-art publishing services.
How much does publishing with Melusina Press cost?
Melusina Press is a Diamond Open Access publisher (see above for further explanation) and tries to become compliant with Plan S. We do not raise article/book processing charges or alike. In particular cases in which authors demand extra features that substantially deviate from publication models supported by Melusina Press, fast-lane publishing or in which authors want to hand-over certain author responsibilities during the publishing process (i.e. manuscript formatting), Melusina Press might raise a fee in order to compensate extra-costs.
What is Melusina's business model?
Melusina Press is institutionally funded by the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education at the University of Luxembourg. It is not oriented towards profit and does not demand any article/book processing charges. Minor revenue is generated by selling print versions of our publications. However, these revenues are no key aspect in our business model. Authors/Editors may decide or not to have print copies of their publications without extra costs and Melusina prices print versions close to production price in order to offer affordable publications and the maximum of outreach.
In exceptional cases in which submissions are far from complying with our guidelines, authors/editors do not want to submit the manuscript by using our template or authors/editors request special requirements for their publications, which vary significantly from our default offerings, extra fees might apply in order to maintain our capacity to act. The size of that fee depends on the area of work, but will always be compliant with the market price - for instance, for outsourcing work to one of our collaborating, external designers or lectors.
What are the benefits of digital publishing?
Digital technology enables to improve the access to extend the distribution, and increase the visibility of publications. It furthermore facilitates the publication of resources such as media, software or datasets that cannot be appropriately published in print. Additionally, it can support collaboration and communication in the context of publishing and, by means of automation, accelerate the publishing process.
What is Melusina's policy regarding copyright and how are publications licensed?
Melusina Press is a Diamond Open Access publisher (see above). Accordingly, authors retain copyright over their works. Authors grant Melusina Press the non-exclusive right to publish, process, data-mine, distribute and transform their works under a Creative Commons license. In particular, Melusina Press uses a CC BY-SA 4.0 International license for the work as such, as well as for its components (images, supplemental resources etc.), if not licensed already.
How to get in contact?
Melusina Press provides a contact form on its webpage that you might use in order to contact the administrative staff. For issues that relate to one of our series please contact one of the editors as presented on our overview about series of Melusina Press.
Publishing with Melusina Press
Who can publish?
Melusina Press' main target group are researchers from the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) and more generally the University of Luxembourg. Depending on available resources at the moment of inquiry we are also willing to accept publications connected to research from and about Luxembourg or that fit well into one of our series.
What publishing formats are supported?
In general, Melusina Press supports the publication of articles, monographs, proceedings and open educational resources (OER). Moreover, publications may take the form of Unbound or Living Publications, Transmedia Publications, Video Essays Executable Papers and *Data Papers. What publication formats are effectively available for you will very much depend on the series in which you will publish and the formats the editors of this series accept.
How long does it take to publish with Melusina?
The time required in order to be published depends on a variety of aspects and may vary significantly. These aspects relate to the amount of publications that are currently in the publication pipeline at Melusina Press, the publication format and the complexity of the publication in terms of its components and typesetting as well as on the review process. In a situation in which the Melusina standard template works for you, the number and complexity of supplemental resources does not impose exceptional effort and you submit a ready-to-publish and well-formatted manuscript 3-4 month is a reasonable estimate. Multiple review rounds, manuscript revisions and corrections as well as adaptations to our workflows due to special requirements of publications might extend this time frame.
What are the requirements for the manuscript? Is there a template?
Please, refer to How do I have to submit my manuscript?
What do I have to do in order to be published by Melusina Press?
At Melusina Press the notion of a series is key. Publications are published within series. A series is a more open concept in Melusina than it is traditionally understood. A series might not only gather publications that share a topic but also one that share a similar approach to publishing in terms of review process, or publication design among others. The first step is to look into our series section if one of the series relates to your work. If this is the case, please contact one of the series editors. If this is not the case, please contact Melusina Press in order to see if another solution exists.
What review process is applied?
Melusina is fully committed to support and assure that a trusted review process for its publications takes place. Editors of series, anthologies or journals are obliged to organise and communicate the review process, used within the publication process to Melusina. However, we do not believe that there is a specific review procedure that may serves as a gold standard or is, in itself, favourable to others. This includes new forms of review such as open peer-review, which builds upon frustration with the traditional review system. We, nevertheless, also support these new review flavours.
Each type of review has its own advantages and risks. Furthermore, these risks can be distributed between different fields and research communities, depending on the type of knowledge that is communicated and the structure of the field (small vs. big; qualitative vs. quantitative etc.). The important aspect is that the review process is trustable, broadly accepted in the domain of the publication, transparent and carried out in a way that improves the quality of a publication.
With this in mind, Melusina Press, beyond demanding a review, sees it's role in supporting stakeholders in reaching the aforementioned goals. This includes, among other things, joined discussions with editors about different review options - its pros and cons; the provision of relevant information resources and initiatives; the provision of review templates and the provision of a review infrastructure on our platform. At the beginning of a publication process editors need to fill out a review process form that clearly defines the intended review process and in which they commit to follow this process faithfully. The aspects that the form deals with align with the conceptual scheme of the Peer Review Information Service for Monographs.
Where monographs are published outside of series Melusina editors organise the review process itself. In co-operation with peers from the field, Melusina editors choose the type of review that will be applied on the ground of accepted norms in that field and the format of the publication. This decision will be communicated to the author(s) ahead of any contract signing process or submission.
Each series or journal website on the Melusina platform, includes a clear, plain-text description of the review process that is applied to its publications inside the series or journal. Additionally, each publication's landingpage provides a badge at the top which concisely indicates the review process, applied to the publication within the PRISM category system.
Building upon the principle, that reliable reviews derive from a system of trust we approach the organisation of reviews in Melusina as an ongoing process of care that can be strengthened continuously. In this respect we will continue to engage with our stakeholders and look out for possibilities to make reviews more beneficial for everyone.
Where will the printed versions of my publication be available?
Melusina Press is about to contract a global Print-on-Demand service which will be responsible for printing publications and for registering with global resellers and online platforms. Once this contract will be signed, publications will be available for ordering on the normal book market as well as in the web on platforms such as Amazon and alike.
What are the type of extra fees that might arise?
In normal cases, no extra fees are necessary. Extra fees only arise for special demands or requirements. These might include among others:
- modifications to the template, following very specific typesetting needs
- the wish to publish a publication on short notice or within a time frame defined by the author
- substantial delays in the submission of the manuscript
- the request for substantial corrections or changes after the manuscript has been submitted
How does the publication workflow look like?
A common publication workflow consist in the following steps:
- Agreement with editors about the publication and signing of the publication contract.
- Evaluation of the publication requirements with respect to the template and template preparation
- Manuscript preparation
- Submission to the editors, review and revision
- Submission to Melusina Press and processing of the publication
- Review of the online proof and camera-ready copy
- Publication of the publication
Where will my publication be visible?
Publications published with Melusina Press will be visible on the Melusina Platform in our institutiona repository (ORBilu) in Melusina's Code Repository, in the online catalogue of the Bibliothèque Nationale du Luxembourg and other library portals such as a-z.lu, on global academic search engines such as GoogleScholar or in registries like DataCite. We are currently preparing the registration of Melusina publications with the Directory of Open Access Books and the Open Research Library. After the signing of the contract with our print-on-demand service selected publications will also be visible on global reseller lists, on the book market and on book selling platforms.
Where will I be able to get my publication?
Depending on the version you will be able to access your publication on the Melusina platform and to download pdf, epub and tei-xml versions for free. Tei-xml versions will also be available for computational workflows and data-mining at Melusina's code repository. Pdf versions will also be available at ORBIlu as well as connected search engines. Once, printing is set-up you will be able to purchase publications for a reasonable price between 12-30 Euros on the global book market and on book selling platforms.
In which formats will my publications be available?
Publications in Melusina Press are normally available as a web-version in a responsive reading environment, suitable for multiple devices, a pdf version, a xhtml version, an epub version for ebook readers, as well as in a xml version that uses the encoding of the global Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) for machine readability and long-term preservation.
Do we apply DRM?
Melusina Press is a Diamond Open Access publisher and does not use nor supports any sort of digital rights management.
How sustainable are my publications, what's with long-term preservation?
Melusina Press combines multiple strategies for the long-term preservation of its publications. We build upon the Universities' institutional repository in which special pdf/a versions of our publications are stored. We furthermore store copies of publications in a xml plain text format that assures software independence and reproducibility (all other versions of our publications are created out of this XML). Publications are associated with comprehensive metadata that describes their provenance, structure and content, using standards such as tei and dublin core. Supplemental resources with special preservation requirements such as audio-visual media or datasets are stored in resource-specific repositories where possible. Publications as well as our online services are archived on a frequent basis. Melusina Press' future itself is secured by institutional funding and does not depend on revenue or project funding.
Where can I find the style guide?
Publications are published within a series. Series come from different disciplinary backgrounds and areas, each with different standards in terms of style, citation etc. Style guides are, therefore, provided by the editors of the series in which you will publish. Beyond the style guide, Melusina Press provides a manuscript template (Link) that includes formats common to scholarly publishing in the humanities, social sciences and education and that assures consistent automated processing of your manuscript.
I would like to launch a series as an editor in Melusina Press, what should I do?
If the series applies to our target group (see above) or if you are linked to research from or about Luxembourg please contact our administrative staff.
How do I have to submit my manuscript?
Melusina Press achieves Open Access publishing free of charge by heavily making use of automated processes within the publishing workflow. This requires the consistent use of a template and the formats it offers Link. The efficiency of the publishing process, the question, if extra fees might arise and the time frame that is required for publishing widely depend on your willingness to put your publication into the structure of this template and on its consistency after submission. Since most of our customers rely on using Microsoft Word the template comes in a .docx file. Submissions in Pandoc Markdown or Scholarly HTML are also possible, though as of now, only online publications are supported for these formats. We are working on changing this in the future.
Does my publication get an ISBN?
For every publication Melusina Press registers an ISBN for the online, pdf, epub and the print version. Furthermore, the tei-xml version as well as all except the print version will additionally get a DOI. In case, you also submit supplemental material these materials will also get DOIs.
What is a DOI?
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a persistent identifier, comparable to ISBNs in the print world, that consistently and persistently identifies digital resources in the web.
Can I share or copy my publication?
By signing the contract you grant Melusina Press the non-exclusive right to publish and disseminate your work. Additionally, your work will be published under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International license. This license allows you (or anyone else) to make copies or share your publication as long as the copy has the same license attached to it and you as the author as well as Melusina Press is mentioned as the source of the copy.
Can I edit previously published documents?
It is possible to create new versions or editions out of a previously published work. However, such act constitutes a new publication process and requires a new agreement with series editors and Melusina Press.
Who can view the online version of my publication?
Melusina is an Open Access publisher. Your publication, once published, is accessible by anyone with an internet connection.
Can I put my publication on my own website?
Yes! Additionally and though not necessary, we would be grateful if you would add a link to your publication on the Melusina platform as well.
What, if I published my book in print somewhere else and want to publish digital with Melusina Press?
If you retain or acquire the necessary rights for digital Open Access publication from you publisher, you can publish your publication digitally with Melusina Press as well.
Melusina Press' Platform
How do I open an account on the Melusina platform?
Due to the General Data Protection Regulation you are required to request an account for the Melusina platform via the contact form. In case you are an author we will provide you with an account during the publishing process.
What is the benefit of having an account?
Publications on the Melusina platform are accessible without any restrictions. An account offers you more functionality that you might want to use in certain situations. For instance, if you are an author an account gives you access to the administration interface of your publication in which you can add or edit metadata and resources to your publication. If you are a student in class or if you work on Open Educational Resources as a registered user you are able to use Melusina's annotation and collaboration functionality.
How do I cancel my account?
In order to delete an account, please write us a message via the contact form.
Is my personal data save, do you comply with the GDPR?
We only store the minimum of personal data that is required for your account to work and for us to be able to comply with some of the demands of GDPR. Fore more details please refer to our privacy notice. Our procedures and privacy standards were defined together with our Data Protection Officer (DPO) and confirmed by the legal team of the University of Luxembourg.