The MIT Press releases 2025 Direct to Open (D2O) Impact Report

This year’s Direct to Open (D2O) Impact Report reveals the global reach of open access publishing at a time when the academy itself faces unprecedented challenges

2025-03-27

(Press-News.org) The MIT Press is proud to release our 2025 Impact Report for Direct to Open (D2O), our sustainable framework for open access monographs that shifts publishing from a solely market-based purchase model where individuals and libraries buy single eBooks, to a collaborative, library-supported open access model.

The continued growth in the reach of open access publishing couldn’t be more timely. In 2025, access to truth and facts are under attack, and democratizing access to trustworthy, peer-reviewed information has never been more important. In the face of so many forces working against the spread of knowledge, Direct to Open continues to be a critical tool.

To date, Direct to Open has funded the open publication of 320 books. On average, our open access Humanities and Social Sciences books are used 2.26 times more and receive 8% more citations than their non-open counterparts. Our open access STEAM books are used 1.6 times more and receive 5% more citations than their non-open counterparts. Our Direct to Open titles are immediately accessible around the world upon publication, and drastically lower barriers to access for global readers—reaching the communities that need this scholarship most.

“At a time when access to reliable, peer-reviewed knowledge is more critical than ever, Direct to Open continues to prove that collaboration can drive meaningful change in scholarly publishing,” said Amy Harris, senior manager of library relations and sales at the MIT Press. “We are grateful to the hundreds of libraries that have joined us in expanding the public knowledge commons, ensuring that groundbreaking ideas reach the widest possible audience and make a lasting impact.”

Our 2025 Direct to Open Impact Report reveals some key additional statistics on our open access monographs and the Direct to Open program:

As of February 2025, Direct to Open titles have received 705,000 total reads.

D2O titles have two times the amount of use as compared to our non-open access books.

13 library consortia and 407 libraries have participated in the program.

Read the full 2025 Impact Report for more information, including testimonials from authors and library partners. For details on how your institution might participate in or support Direct to Open, please visit mitpress.mit.edu/D2O or contact the MIT Press library relations team at mitp-library-relations@mit.edu.

Media Contact

Rachel Aldrich
Marketing Manager
The MIT Press
raldrich@mit.edu

About the MIT Press

Established in 1962, The MIT Press is one of the largest and most distinguished university presses in the world and a leading publisher of books and journals at the intersection of science, technology, art, social science, and design.

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