Books, digital publications, and other scholarly dissemination methods

The publication and sharing of scholarly works and research can take many forms, from traditional books and journals, to more novel modalities in visual and digital formats. Depending on the method that best suits the project, there are various groups at Duke ready to support investigators throughout the process.

Preparing to share work

Scholarly Publishing Services - through the Duke Library - is the best first place to start whether an investigator is considering digital publishing or more traditional modes of dissemination. This resource can help investigators understand what issues may need evaluation during the planning stage, and what resources at Duke can assist once a plan is generated.
For scholars in the humanities, data sciences, and beyond, helpful resources can be found in the Digital Humanities community, which pulls together information from various groups around Duke’s campus.
The Duke Office for Translation and Commercialization is an important resource for digital innovations, whether they are being shared or commercialized.
The "Related Resources" section of this page contains further information on how Duke can provide support in the early planning stages.

Copyright and legal issues in publishing

For any publishing project, it’s important to understand copyright, fair use, and other legal issues that may come into play. It is vital to use other people’s work appropriately, and not infringe on their copyrights, and to put in place licenses to protect the investigator's own work. Duke is committed to sharing research widely, and putting knowledge in the service of society, so there’s a strong impetus to make work openly available to all. The publishers that investigators work with may or may not share those goals, so it’s important to read any contracts they send carefully, and negotiate a beneficial outcome. The ScholarWorks Center for Scholarly Publishing in Duke Libraries can assist Duke researchers with these kinds of issues, and help find the right balance of needs and goals. 

Maximizing reach and tracking impact

Duke provides support via a number of tools and services to help investigators share publications widely and track their impact. Explore the options below to determine which tool(s) may be helpful in maximizing and tracking the reach of a publication.

Duke Elements and DukeSpace

• Elements is an online service for Duke researchers to document and manage their publications history. Publications managed in Elements will appear in the "Selected Publications" section of a Scholars@Duke profile.
• Publications can also be deposited via Elements into DukeSpace, Duke University's openly available online repository for publications and other archival materials in digital format. Publications deposited into DukeSpace will be openly accessible to the world, linked from a researcher's Scholars@Duke profile, and findable via Google Scholar, further increasing the reach and impact of research.
• It is important to sign up for an ORCID to disambiguate your name from other similar names in bibliographies and library catalogs.

Publishing with a university press

Duke University Press (DUP) publishes books and journals in the humanities and social sciences; the Press also provides some open access publishing initiatives, including Project Euclid, which publishes mathematics journals.  DUP is one of many highly respected university presses in the United States; each has its own strengths and areas of specialization.  

• When planning ahead for a tenure package, it is important to find a university press that is both highly respected and a good fit for the topic. For advice on choosing and approaching a university press with a book proposal, see the Publishing Humanities Initiative at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute and request a consultation.  
• The FHI Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops program offers an opportunity for authors whose books engage with the humanities to experience peer review in person. A CFP for workshops is posted 1-2 times each year.
   

Altmetric

• Altmetric allows researchers to track attention publications are getting in sources outside the scholarly literature. This includes mentions of the publication from news sources, blogs, social media, and government policy documents.

More information about tracking and understanding metrics and impact can be found on the Duke ScholarWorks website.