Where is the best place to publish academic research now?

Scholarly communication covers a broad range of topics and issues, and advances in online platforms and tools for research support have led to unprecedented changes in publishing options, research assessments and research policies. As a result, researchers are facing a transformed scholarly communication landscape, making research dissemination and societal impact a complex topic.

Guided by the question, ‘Where to publish?’, The Scholarly Communication Handbook explores publication types, open access and licensing options, as well as appropriate uses of research metrics and the benefits and setbacks of peer review. It answers questions such as:

• what are the key considerations for exploring new publication venues and experimenting with new forms of publishing?
• why are research metrics and open research important topics in scholarly communication?
• how can scholarly communication librarians and researchers prepare for future changes in scholarly publishing?

The book will provide a comprehensive overview of the knowledge required for understanding and navigating the scholarly communication landscape. Critical issues about research integrity, bibliodiversity and sustainability are also addressed to provoke discussions and debates about the future of scholarly publishing and communication. Readers will be empowered not just to make informed decisions about where they publish, but also understand policy changes and advocacy work in relation to research and publication processes.

This will be an ideal book for researchers, students alike who aspiring to or currently working in academic libraries and the teams who support them.

The Scholarly Communication Handbook is well-written, well-organized, and thorough. With this publication, Lai Ma has provided scholars and scholarly communication professionals with a valuable tool for understanding and navigating the scholarly communication landscape.

Lai Ma is Assistant Professor at the School of Information and Communication Studies at University College Dublin, where she serves as the Director of the Master of Library and Information Studies programme. Her research is mainly concerned with the interrelationship between research evaluation, research policy, and knowledge production. She has published numerous research articles on the topics of bibliometrics, impact evaluation, and peer review.