Digital Initiatives Librarian
What is Scholarly Publishing?
Scholarly publishing is the system through which research is created, evaluated, communicated, shared, and preserved for future use by scholars and the public.
The overall goal of scholarly publishing has remained relatively consistent over time, but the infrastructure underlying scholarly communication continues to evolve as emerging technologies change what's possible. Recently, Open Access, a focus on research impact, and AI have begun reshaping how scholarship is shared.
This guide will take you through various aspects of traditional scholarly publishing, suggest questions that you may want to answer as you journey through the process, and highlight the impact of recent trends and disruptions.
The Scholarly Publication Lifecycle
For traditional research outputs and some types or aspects of creative scholarship, the graphic below illustrates the basic stages of the scholarly publication cycle.
"The Publication Cycle" by University of Winnepeg is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
The following chart provides a little more detail about each stage in the cycle. This guide covers several of the topics referenced in the Author/Creator Considerations column.
| Stage | Key Players and Activities | Author/Creator Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Creation |
Authors generate idea(s), secure funding, conduct research, prepare manuscript (draft, citations, formatting), select journal (or other outlet), submit manuscript (or other research output). |
You may need to select a journal before you finalize your formatting and citations. Do you want to retain copyright in your work? If so, select a journal/publisher with a policy that permits it. Have you used AI to prepare your work? Make sure your journal/outlet of choice permits the use of AI (in the way you used it or plan to use it). |
| Evaluation |
Editors oversee selection and integrity; manage peer review process. Peer Reviewers assess quality and rigor. |
Have you explained how you addressed the peer reviewers' concerns or why you have not? It is typical for peer reviewers to ask for at least one round of revisions. |
| Publication |
Publishers handle acceptance and production. Authors review and sign publication agreement, review proofs. |
Review the publication agreement carefully; make sure the copyright or licensing details align with your needs. |
| Dissemination & Access |
Publishers market/promote and provide online or print distribution via web sites, social media, or physical artifact. Librarians and Repository Staff provide access via repositories. |
Make your work Open Access (OA) when possible to increase its impact. |
| Preservation |
Librarians, Repository Staff, and Publishers preserve scholarly works for the historical, scholarly record. |
Celebrate your contribution to the enduring and evolving world of scholarly communications! |
| Reuse |
Researchers, practitioners, government employees, and members of the public read, cite, apply, reproduce, and recombine scholarly work to advance knowledge and solve problems. |
How and where a scholarly work is published impacts how others can use and reuse it. Paywalled scholarship limits access. Openly licensed, OA scholarship can be accessed by anyone for free. |
Types of Scholarly Outputs
Scholarly work can take many forms depending on the discipline, purpose, and audience. Most commonly, scholarly publishing refers to the following types of traditional academic outputs:
Traditional Outputs
- Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Original research, review articles, brief reports, and case studies. - Conference Papers/Proceedings
Often published in edited volumes or disciplinary archives. - Books & Book Chapters
Scholarly monographs or edited volumes with original research. - Dissertations & Theses
Formal scholarly work submitted for academic degrees, often archived in institutional repositories. - Data Sets & Supplementary Materials
Especially in STEM and social sciences, published with DOIs or in repositories. - Technical Reports, White Papers, and Policy Briefs
Common in applied research, government, and NGO work.
Creative Scholarship
In disciplines such as the arts, design, and digital humanities, creative works may also constitute scholarly output. These are often accompanied by artist statements, research portfolios, a critical reflection, a contextual statement, or a process narrative and may be peer-reviewed or archived depending on the format.
Here are some examples; this is not a comprehensive list:
- Creative Writing (poetry, fiction, hybrid forms)
- Exhibitions (visual art, photography, curation)
- Compositions (music, choreography)
- Performances (theatre, music, dance, live art)
- Films & Documentaries
- Multimedia & Digital Humanities Projects
- Design Prototypes (architectural models, fashion design, industrial design)
While this guide emphasizes traditional scholarly publishing pathways, creative scholarship is a vital part of the broader scholarly landscape. Many of the topics covered in this guide apply to all forms of scholarly publishing (broadly defined), even if they manifest in different ways.
Journal Article Publication Process
Article publication process by IJARBAS INTERNATIONAL, TWCMSI INTERNATIONAL is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Portions of this guide were developed with support from ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI, to assist with content drafting and formatting ideas. Final content was reviewed and edited by Wendy Walker, Digital Initiatives Librarian, University of Montana.