About the Press

Digital Repository for Indian Scholarly Texts & Information (DRISTI) Books Portal 

In a rapidly transforming academic ecosystem, the scholarly monograph remains a cornerstone of intellectual inquiry, thematic research and long-form academic discourse. Recognizing the critical need for a dedicated and institutionally governed platform to host, curate and disseminate high-quality academic books, monographs and edited volumes from Indian scholars and institutions, the Digital Repository for Indian Scholarly Texts & Information (DRISTI) Books Portal has been launched. This initiative is driven by the Centre for Development of Intellectual Property and Research (CDIPR), Naovina Development of Intellectual Property and Research Foundation in collaboration with the Protection of Child and Human Rights Foundation (PCHR Foundation). The DRISTI Books Portal is conceptualised as an open-access academic infrastructure that prioritizes scholarly accessibility, rigorous editorial standards, and international discoverability of Indian-authored academic books across disciplines.

Platform Infrastructure and Technology

The DRISTI Books Portal operates on the globally recognised Open Monograph Press (OMP) system, a robust open-source system developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) for managing the workflow of scholarly book publishing. Through OMP, DRISTI Books ensures a seamless, scalable and standards-compliant environment for academic book publication. Its core features include:

  • Manuscript submission, editorial review, copyediting and production workflows

  • Hosting of open-access academic books in multiple formats (PDF, ePub, HTML)

  • ISBN support and metadata integration for discoverability

  • DOI registration and CrossRef integration for citations and referencing

  • Role-based dashboard for authors, editors, series managers and readers

  • Multilingual interface support and XML-based indexing capabilities

OMP enables DRISTI Books to align with best practices in global academic book publishing and provides long-term sustainability and access resilience.

Objectives of DRISTI Books

  1. Scholarly Book Publishing: DRISTI Books Portal is committed to publishing academic monographs, edited volumes, thematic anthologies, research-based handbooks and policy reports authored by Indian scholars or focused on India-centric research.

  2. Open Access and Knowledge Equity: Embracing the philosophy of open-access dissemination, DRISTI Books ensures that all scholarly works hosted on the platform are freely accessible to researchers, students, libraries, and institutions across the globe.

  3. Metadata-Rich Indexing: Every publication is indexed with structured metadata for discipline, theme, author identity (ORCID), keywords, licensing and academic relevance, enabling precise discoverability and bibliometric tracking.

  4. Regional Language Support: Recognizing the linguistic diversity of Indian scholarship, DRISTI Books Portal welcomes publications in Indian vernacular languages, with translated metadata to support global visibility.

  5. Academic Integrity and Review Standards: All book manuscripts are subject to a rigorous peer review or editorial board review system to ensure the scholarly quality and ethical credibility of the published content.

  6. Collaborative Institutional Publishing: DRISTI Books partners with universities, think tanks, and research centers to publish institutional series, commemorative volumes, and special publications under their academic imprint.

  7. Preservation of Thematic and Long-form Research: Unlike journal articles, scholarly books capture in-depth, expansive research. DRISTI Books aims to preserve this essential format for future academic generations.

Vision

To establish India’s premier open-access academic book publishing platform, dedicated to elevating long-form research, thematically rich scholarship, and inclusive knowledge creation in accordance with global publishing benchmarks.

Mission

  • To publish high-quality academic books, monographs, and edited volumes through an open-access, peer-reviewed framework.

  • To facilitate global access to Indian-authored or India-focused long-form research across multiple disciplines.

  • To offer a professional and standards-compliant digital book publishing platform for Indian academic institutions and researchers.

  • To support publishing in regional languages, especially from historically underrepresented scholars and institutions.

  • To strengthen India’s global intellectual footprint by promoting scholarly books on social sciences, law, technology, humanities, and cross-disciplinary themes.

Why DRISTI Books?

While India is home to an immense pool of academic talent, the monograph and academic book publishing ecosystem often faces multiple barriers: high publication costs, limited access to digital platforms, absence of indexing and ISBN registration, and lack of global visibility. DRISTI Books addresses these systemic limitations by offering:

  • A nationally governed, academically curated platform with quality controls.

  • ISBN assignment and DOI registration for each title.

  • Structured indexing for long-term discoverability and citation.

  • Inclusive access to early-career researchers, regional authors and independent scholars.

The portal serves as an equalizing platform to democratise academic book publishing in India.

Who Can Publish on DRISTI Books?

  • Individual Researchers & Academicians: Authors with peer-reviewed manuscripts, doctoral work, or edited volumes ready for publication.

  • University Departments & Research Centres: Institutions looking to publish working paper series, research compendiums, or institutional handbooks in National Digital Repository.

  • Conference Organisers: Edited volumes of conference proceedings or thematic papers.

  • Policy Think Tanks & NGOs: Publishing evidence-based research reports or knowledge products in accessible book formats.

  • PhD & Postdoctoral Scholars: Candidates wishing to convert their dissertations into publishable monographs.

International Publication Standards and Compliance

DRISTI Books follows international academic book publishing norms, including:

  • ISBN Assignment: All books published are assigned International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) via Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency, New Delhi.

  • Peer Review: Each monograph or volume is reviewed by subject experts or institutional advisory boards following double-blind or editorial board scrutiny.

  • Ethical Guidelines: Compliance with COPE, OASPA and national academic integrity standards is mandatory. Authors are required to submit declarations on originality, data ethics, conflict of interest, and authorship norms.

  • Metadata Standards: Publications follow Dublin Core, MARC21 and PKP XML schemas enabling integration with:

    • WorldCat

    • Google Scholar

    • Google Books

    • Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)

    • Amazon Kindle Publication

  • Digital Preservation: Long-term accessibility through LOCKSS/CLOCKSS, PDF/A archiving, and institutional repositories is supported.

Governance and Academic Oversight

DRISTI Books is governed by a dedicated Editorial and Publication Board under the guidance of the Centre for Development of Intellectual Property and Research, Naovina Development of Intellectual Property and Research Foundation. The board includes senior faculty members, researchers, students, publishing experts and digital content specialists. Regular audits, thematic calls for books, and open invitations ensure a transparent and dynamic publication pipeline.

Aligned with national academic and research frameworks, DRISTI Books supports:

  • National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

  • UGC’s Academic Publishing Guidelines

  • Digital India and Research Accessibility Missions

  • National Research Foundation (NRF) Goals on Research Dissemination