UC Press is the Portuguese-speaking publisher with more books in the international reference directory DOAB

16 may, 2019≈ 3 min read

The Coimbra University Press (IUC) became the Portuguese-speaking publisher with the most indexed books in the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB). The level reached - with 250 works indexed in this international reference directory - is yet another “quality seal” of the work developed by IUC, underlines its Director and Vice-Rector for Culture and Open Science, Delfim Leão.

The assertion of the Coimbra University Press (IUC) as the main Portuguese-speaking publisher present at DOAB (and part of the top 5% of the more than 300 represented there) is the corollary of a long process, of about eight years, “which now reaches its maturity". “It is not just a matter of having books in open access [for consultation by the scientific community and civil society], but of having books that meet a set of scientific and editorial management requirements according to international good practices”, underlines Delfim Leão "We have reached this level of being the Portuguese-speaking publisher that has more books in open access, but it is a number that we hope to gradually reinforce over the next few months," adds IUC director.

With the growing dissemination of the concept of open science [making available open access to data and publications, allowing the sharing of knowledge between the scientific community, society and companies], the presence of the Press among the DOAB elite also increases international relevance of the University of Coimbra (UC). "For any publisher/academic institution it is not enough to produce good science. It is crucial that this science reaches the right interlocutors. We must be on the great information highways. Entry into major international directories allows that our science does indeed reach peers who will be able to value it, and this is obviously reflected in all the indicators of the University of Coimbra, but we must not forget that the Press also publishes the work of many authors outside the UC: authors who publish with us are valued ”, emphasizes Delfim Leão.

UC Open Science website launched

Another proof of the University of Coimbra's growing involvement in open science is the creation of the UC Open Science website (www.uc.pt/openscience), which today officially starts operating, hosting all UC production in this area. “UC Open Science seeks to give added visibility to all initiatives that have to do with open science with the UC brand - and that will be based, above all, on three main pillars of action: open access to publications, open data and citizen science”, concludes the Vice-Rector.


Text: Rui Marques Simões

Video: F. Fernandes and Milene Santos