University of Guelph Library
The library at the University of Guelph is offering publishing, author rights and copyright consultation services for faculty and grad students. There are many issues authors should be aware of with respect to copyright law, their rights as an author, and the various options available to publish their work (both traditional academic publishing and alternative formats).
Traditional publishing models may require the signing over of author’s rights to the publisher. Authors lose the ability to determine access to and disseminate their own work. This could include loss of the right to use the work in future research, disseminate work freely with others, self-archive work or post it to their website. Some of the things we can help with include:
- Identifying and choosing a journal (or alternative publication format) in which to publish. This may include considerations such a as a journal’s impact factor, time considerations (how quickly the journal moves from submission to publishing an article), and how flexible the publisher is with respect to author rights.
- Understanding the differences (and advantages/disadvantages) between traditional publishing models and open access, including self-archiving.
- Understanding copyright from the perspective of an author and your rights as an author (including why you would want to retain those rights).
- Points that you should negotiate with publishers in order to protect your author rights.
- Identifying and working with progressive publishers (those that allow authors to retain their copyright).
Faculty are encouraged to consult with our resource personnel on issues you may have as authors, educators, and researchers. We can assist you in finding the information you need. For more information, contact Pascal Lupien at
Contact Us