Springer Nature SDG Programme

Open Access Books: Delivering real impact on the SDGs

Open access (OA) enables important and pertinent research findings relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reach a broad and diverse audience of scientists, policymakers, and practitioners. Scientific analyses and results can thus be translated into actionable strategies, that promote the achievement of SDGs targets.

SN SDG logo © Springer Nature 2019Books have the scope required to thoroughly and comprehensively analyse the highly complex and interconnected issues addressed by the SDGs. OA books – easy to find and share – enjoy enhanced visibility and maximum accessibility, and enable authors to increase the real-world impact of their work.

Below, you can explore selected titles from Springer Nature’s SDGs OA book portfolio. Read testimonies of OA books authors and editors to learn how publishing OA extended the reach and impact of their work. On this page you can also find out everything you need to know about publishing your SDGs research as an OA book with Springer Nature, and about potential OA funding opportunities.

"At Springer Nature we see our position as one of the largest publishers of open access books as central to our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Open access publication makes book content available to everyone around the world, and helps enable this research to be applied to address real-world challenges everywhere they are found. We are proud to showcase that we have published open access books that address all 17 of the SDGs."

—Nicola Jones, Director, Springer Nature SDG Programme

What are authors saying about OA books?

Myron Christodoulides

Myron Christodoulides

Author of Vaccines for Neglected Pathogens: Strategies, Achievements and Challenges

"Publishing OA is important for researchers from disadvantaged countries who have limited funds" Read the interview

Virginia Berridge

Virginia Berridge

Author of E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction

"Open access has helped with getting instant access to a rapidly changing policy field" Read the interview

Links to further interviews can be found at the bottom of this page as well as on our SDG-specific OA book pages.

Why publish a book with Springer Nature? And why publish it OA?

Writing a book is a meaningful investment of time—but the return on that investment, especially for SDG-related research—is even more meaningful. When you publish your book with Springer Nature, you will get powerful editorial support at every stage—from proposal through post-publication.

Why publish OA?
Because our OA academic books and chapters on average receive 10 times more downloads, 2.4 times more citations, and 10 times more online mentions compared to non-open access books.
OA books have a more geographically diverse readership, reaching on average 61% more countries than non-OA books.

Our second annual open access (OA) report shows the growth, impact and value of our OA portfolio for authors, and provides greater transparency on how we are driving OA forwards.

Learn more about how to get started

  • Increased visibility & discoverability
  • High quality
  • Authors retain copyright
  • Compliance with funder mandates

Have an idea for a book? Take the next step.

Let us guide you through the book publishing process. We would love to hear from you to discuss your idea.

Submit your book idea


Watch our open access book videos

Why publish an open access book?

How does it work? Open access books in 6 steps

 

Ready to publish? Send us your book proposal using this form

Open access funding opportunities

To plan ahead for paying your OA book processing charge (BPC), you can use Springer Nature’s Open Access Funding Service. 

This free service will work with you to help find funds for paying open access BPCs that you have through your institution or other funding sources.

Blog posts relating to open research and the SDGs

Recent relevant blog posts from Springboard - the latest views, comments and discussions from Springer Nature and our partners around the drive towards advancing open research, and from The Source - our blog providing insight and discussion on publishing in the academic world.

Interviews with authors and editors of SDG-related open access books

Myron Christodoulides

Myron Christodoulides

Author of Vaccines for Neglected Pathogens: Strategies, Achievements and Challenges

"Publishing OA is important for researchers from disadvantaged countries who have limited funds" Read the interview

Virginia Berridge

Virginia Berridge

Author of E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction

"Open access has helped with getting instant access to a rapidly changing policy field" Read the interview

Dara Orbach undefined

Dara Orbach

Co-Editor of Sex in Cetaceans

"Publishing OA has enabled us to increase the reach and impact of important findings" Read the interview

Pavla Miller

Pavla Miller

Author of Mining Gold and Manufacturing Ignorance: Occupational Lung Disease and the Buying and Selling of Labour in Southern Africa

"The book has paid tribute to those who warned against looming health crises" Read the interview

Dr. Hugo Campos

Dr. Hugo Campos

Author of The Potato Crop and The Innovation Revolution in Agriculture.

"OA is about reaching people who cannot afford books in developing countries, about enabling others to be successful" Read the interview

Prof. Emeritus Maurice B. Mittelmark

Prof. Emeritus Maurice B. Mittelmark

Editor of The Handbook of Salutogenesis

"OA is the only publishing model that ensures an academic book will achieve deep and timely penetration of my academic arena" Read the interview

Catherine Butler

Catherine Butler

Author of Energy Poverty, Practice, and Policy

"Never has it been more important to understand the dynamics of energy poverty and re-examine our ways of understanding the issues" Read the interview

Michael Wehmeyer

Michael Wehmeyer

Co-Editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education

"Through open access, many more people around the world have access to the ideas and strategies presented in the Handbook, which we believe will facilitate the growth of the field" Read the interview

Andrea Membretti

Andrea Membretti

Co-Editor of Sustainable Futures in Southern Africa's Mountains.

"OA is a great opportunity to reach a wider audience, particularly beyond a purely academic sphere" Read the interview

Teiji Nakamura

Teiji Nakamura

Author of Japan Nutrition.

"It has been of great benefit to be able to communicate the history, characteristics and significance of Japan Nutrition." Read the interview

Tsunao Watanabe

Tsunao Watanabe

Editor of the book series Satoyama Initiative Thematic Review

"With OA we can better inform about policies and practices to facilitate action towards more sustainable futures." Read the interview

Patrick Huntjens

Patrick Huntjens

Author of Towards a Natural Social Contract

"I consider open access publishing not only a moral duty, but also an ethical commitment to make my work equally available to anyone who has an interest." Read the interview