Scholarly communications, the system through which research and scholarly publications and works are created, evaluated, disseminated, and preserved, has always evolved with advancements in technology. In this moment of chaos, perhaps this is the time for those of us who publish to examine the ways we self-archive our research and improve the availability of our publications.
In spring 2024, 223 Loyola Marymount University faculty and librarians completed a survey about self-archiving their research. An author engages in self-archiving when they deposit a copy of their publication in a repository, like Digital Commons @ LMU, or host it on their personal website to preserve the publication long-term and provide free, public access. Utilizing the data from the survey, we have updated the Scholarly Communications LibGuide to address concerns and needs highlighted by faculty and librarians.
The Scholarly Communication LibGuide now includes information about:
- how to identify a journal for your manuscript
- how to identify predatory publishing behaviors and journals
- tools to discover open access materials to overcome paywalls
- free author addendums and resources to guide authors in negotiating contract terms with publishers
- information on utilizing publication metrics
- strategies for maximizing an author’s impact and academic visibility