About This Guide
This guide serves as a comprehensive resource tailored to support the Utah State University community in navigating the complexities of the scholarly publishing landscape. The publishing environment includes varied approaches and challenges, including issues such as predatory publishers, journal selection, and the expanding realm of open access.
Included is a curated selection of resources, including articles, tools, and expert recommendations, designed to equip users with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions throughout their publishing journey. By providing these resources, this guide aims to empower authors to confidently engage with the evolving world of scholarly publishing.
Publishing Lifecycle
Understanding the publishing lifecycle can help position authors for success. The publishing lifecycle encompasses several key stages, from creation, to evaluation, publication, dissemenation and access, preservation, and finally reuse.
Familiarity with this lifecycle can help to make informed decisions about your research and writing, select appropriate venues for publication, and navigate potential pitfalls, such as predatory publishing practices. Additionally, an awareness of timelines and expectations can help manage stress and improve the overall experience.
Definitions
Peer Review (or refereed) means an article has been evaluated and approved for publication by experts in the relevant field. This process is meant to ensure that the articles deliver accurate, verifiable, and meaningful contributions to the discipline.
Open Access refers to the free, immediate, online access to the results of scholarly research, and the right to use and re-use those results as you need (taken from the Open Access Week website).
Predatory Publishing, according to the thinkchecksubmit website, refers to publishers or journals that charge authors a fee for publication with no intention of providing the expected services – such as editorial or peer review – in return.
Scholarly Communication was defined by ACRL in 2003 as, "the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use."
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