Publishing & Preserving

Publishing and preserving


Publication and preservation of research results is the long-term goal of any research endeavour. Dal libraries offers resources to help determine where to publish, to know your rights as an author, and provide guidance on storage and dissemination that can help make your research as open as possible.

The Office of Research Services (ORS) can advise on bringing your grant to a close and complying with all the final requirements. 

Open Access


CONTACT:
 Subject Liaison LibrariansOpen Access

When publishing, always consider open access options, and determine if your funding agency requires that you publish in an open source. Open access creates more accessible research for scholars, professionals, students and the general public as it is free of charge and available in an online format. The Dalhousie Libraries offers subject-specific resources on open access publishing and can offer some author processing charge (APC) discounts and waivers.

 Services and tools:

Author Processing Charges (APCs)

Author publishing charges (APCs) are often levied by journal publishers to cover publishing costs. Dalhousie does not have an author fund to directly cover the cost associated with APCs. Dalhousie Libraries has negotiated agreements that include discounts or waivers of APC charges with many large and small publishers. 

Services and Tools: 
Explore the Dalhousie APC guide to learn which publishers we have deals with. 

Identifying appropriate journals

Publishing is a fundamental aspect of the research lifecycle. Finding the preferred journal to publish your work in can depend on your desired audience, goals, and discipline. In the journal world, predatory journals lurk. Predatory journals are pseudo-academic journals that charge feels while failing to uphold acceptable standards for quality. Dal libraries provides guidance on how to identify journals for potential submission and information on identifying and avoiding predatory journals when publishing your work.

Services and tools:

Author rights


CONTACT:
 Copyright Office

Ownership of research is determined by collective agreements, employment contracts, publisher policies, and funder policies.  The library provides resources, guidance, and information on retaining and determining your authors rights and the copyright process.

Services and tools:

Patents and trademarks

CONTACT: Legal Counsel Office

Patents and trademarks are integral parts of publication process as they protect your intellectual property. The University’s Legal Counsel Office provides information and legal advice related to patents and trademarks both before and during your publication process. 

Services and tools:

  • Explore the Find Patents research guide for information on patent sources, terms, databases and how to cite patents.
  • Consult the Legal Counsel Office for university-related legal issues like patents and trademarks.

Data repository


CONTACT:
 Research Data Management Team

Data sharing is beneficial to researchers as it can lead to more collaboration and confidence in your discoveries. A growing number of funding agencies are requiring data sharing as a condition.  The library provides useful resources on how you can share data in Dalhousie University’s Dataverse as well as external repositories.

Services and tools:

Institutional repository


CONTACT:
 DalSpace

Self-archiving involves submitting a free copy of your work to an open repository in effort to provide the broadest possible access to it. Dalhousie University offers resources on self-archiving for students and faculty members.

Services and tools:

  • If you are interested in self-archiving, you can register and submit to DalSpace so your work will be preserved for future generations.
  • Contact DalSpace if you have questions on self-archiving or the submission process.

Closing grants


CONTACT:
 ORS

Most research grants and contracts have expiry dates attached to them - it is important to be aware of your deadline and all necessary steps involved before expiry. The Office of Research Services (ORS) offers support for research guidance, documentation, and compliance for closing grants.

Services and tools:

  • Consult the Office of Research Services (ORS) website for guidance on managing your research, understanding what documentation is needed and other services related to the management of grants.
  • Contact the ORS grants and contracts manager for more assistance and information.

Documenting metadata

CONTACT: Research Data Management Team

Providing metadata for your research is an important aspect of publishing and preserving your work as it will allow your research to be searchable and accessible to others. The library provides information and resources about documentation, metadata, and metadata standards. 

Services and tools:

  • Consult the Research Data Management research guide for information on metadata, metadata standards and how you should document metadata in your own research.