Scholarly Communication

This page has been designed for both scholars and librarians to introduce the emerging discipline of scholarly communication.  If you have questions about scholarly communication, please talk to your subject specialist librarian or the Scholarly Communication Officer.

Issues in Scholarly Communication

• Authors' Rights
  
• Copyright
  

... open access publishing can present some pitfalls for authors. With now over 10,000 open access journals representing roughly 15% of papers published worldwide in 2015, selecting the right journal for authors to publish their research in can be a daunting task.  https://www.ediqo.com/blog/8-indicators-of-a-reputable-open-access-journal/

Criteria to consider

1. The journal is listed in the Director of Open Access Journals. 

2. The journal is indexed in a major database.

3. The journal publishes regular issues with a decent number of papers in each issue. 

4. The journal has a reasonably-sized editorial board with a chief editor. 

5. The journal has a strong well-defined editorial scope.  

6. The journal clearly outlines their peer review, editorial and financial policies.  

7. The journal provides a publication ethics statement.   

8. The journal uses the latest information communications technologies. 

source: EDIQO blog: Research Matters.   

Scholarly Communication traditionally refers to the process by which scholars disseminate their work, either in person or in print.  Now, with the development of digital media and the Internet, our concept of scholarly communication has expanded to encompass a field of study, which considers not only the creation and dissemination of knowledge and creative works, but also related issues concerning access, preservation, and the economic reality of soaring prices.  As the process has become increasingly electronic, both the subscription models for journals and the activities of scholars have shifted.  Traditional publishers have moved to expensive journal licensing schemes, severely limiting access to research publications.  The work of scholars is increasingly born digital, as researchers use digital data, electronic analytic tools, and produce their data tables, digital images, presentations and publications in electronic formats.  Not just scientists, but also artists, social scientists, and scholars in the humanities create and share their work in electronic formats.

This shift requires us as scholars and librarians to reexamine not only the ways information is created, captured, and communicated, but also our ability to discover, access, and archive this information.  The goal of this guide is to prompt discussion of scholarly communication issues such as open access, institutional repositories such as UDSpace, author’s rights, copyright and fair use, digital rights management, and data archives.

The UD Scholarly Communication Blog serves to keep staff informed about current issues related to scholarly communication.  The intended audience is UD library personnel.  Please feel free to send the Scholarly Communication Officer relevant material you would like to see posted.