Publishing proposals

If your organisation is considering publishing your journal(s) with Oxford University Press (OUP), we would be very happy to hear from you. Below you’ll find the details on what your Request for Proposal (RFP) should include so that we can tailor our publishing partner service to fit your unique needs. 

If you are ready to issue an RFP or would like to talk directly with a member of our team, please contact our Publishing Director.

Preparing an RFP

General information 

• What are the strategic priorities for your organisation and the journal(s) you are considering moving to OUP? 
• What are your primary reasons for going out to tender? 
• Are there specific issues or services that you would like to be addressed in OUP’s proposal? 

Data needed 

The proposal we create for you will include financial projections and its accuracy will depend on how much detail you provide at this initial stage. As a result, we ask that you provide as much of the following information as possible.  

Circulation

• Number of institutional subscriptions for the past 3 years, including current year-to-date figures, if available. If possible, please provide breakdowns based on: geography (either by region or country), print-only vs. print & online vs. online-only, and pricing tier (if applicable)
• Number of personal subscriptions for the past 3 years, broken out as above.
• Details on any other subscription categories
• Number of any collection or consortia deals in which the journal is sold (including how many sites currently access the journal).
• Number of any institutions receiving the journal via a collection deal that are continuing to pay the full price.
• Number and type of gratis subscriptions (e.g., abstracting & indexing agencies, staff, etc.)
• Details of any bulk deliveries of the print journal (e.g., to a conference or to the society offices on a regular basis).

Membership

• How many members does the society have, and how many receive a subscription to the journal (if applicable), broken down by type and geography. Please provide data for the past 3 years. 
• If members pay for a subscription, do they currently pay the publisher directly, or does the society pay the publisher? 
• What level of growth or decline do you project for members receiving the journal?

Editorial

• Please provide the number of manuscripts submitted per year for the past 3 years.
• What is the current rejection rate?
• Do you use a submission system and, if so, which one? Are you happy with it?
• What arrangements do you have for editorial office support (e.g., do you employ staff directly, contract with a third-party service directly, or expect the publisher to provide/contract for these services)? Do you anticipate any changes?
• Percentage of articles published open access (for hybrid journals) per year
• Are there any editorial policies on supplements and advertising?
• Does the journal publish special issues and, if so, at roughly what frequency?
• What is the journal’s open access policy (e.g., what licenses do you allow)?

Production 

• Current frequency and the number of pages per volume. (Include any expectations for increases in either.)
• Is the journal currently on time or have any of its issues/volumes been delayed? If the latter, please describe the extent of the delay and the reasons.
• How many accepted papers are currently waiting to be published in a final version?
• Do you have any special requirements for copyediting, proofreading, or figure re-drawing? Please provide details.
• Does the journal publish supplements?  How many per year and of what type (e.g., meeting abstracts, sponsored recurring supplements, or ad hoc supplements)?
• Do you have any special manufacturing requirements (e.g, paper stock or covers)?
• Approximately how many colour pages are published per issue, on average?
• Are there are aspects of your current design that you would like to change? 
• Is the archive of all back issues available online? Is it free or subject to charge?

Finances 

• If you want the publisher to contribute to Editorial Office costs, please provide a breakdown.
• Will there be any other costs that you expect your publishing partner to cover (e.g., conference or prize sponsorship)?
• Does the journal charge submission fees?
• Are there any page or publication charges (other than for open access)?
• Is there an author charge for color images?
• What is your open access fee (APC), and are there any discounts, such as member discounts, or differentiated pricing by article type?
• What is the current subscription price (in all currencies), including any tiers?
• Do you have any policies or views regarding pricing?
• Are there any secondary rights arrangements (e.g., JSTOR, Ovid, EBSCO, ProQuest, etc.) and, if so, would any of these contracts continue after the change of publisher?
• Please provide revenue for the past 3 years, broken down into the following categories: 
  • Institutional subscriptions
  • Personal subscriptions
  • Membership subscriptions
  • Consortia/collections
  • Advertising
  • Supplements
  • Commercial reprints
  • Secondary rights
  • Permissions
  • Colour charges
  • Page charges
  • Open Access charges
  • Other income