Theme: Academic Publishing

The Publishing Trap is a board game designed to introduce researchers to scholarly publishing. Looking at the world of scholarly communication, this interactive game aims to offer researchers a better understanding of the implications of copyright on the publication process. Players will be guided through the different stages of a researcher career from PhD submission to Professorship, making decisions on a range of scenarios. The aim of the game is to develop an understanding of how money, copyright and publishing models will impact an academic career.

Learn more about the game here: https://copyrightliteracy.org/resources/the-publishing-trap/

The Publishing Trap was designed by Dr Jane Secker and Chris Morrison (UK Copyright Literacy) and is used under a CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Confused by copyright? You are not alone!

Copyright involves much more than checking how much you are photocopying, but it can be difficult to know where to start.

Join the Office of Scholarly Communication as we answer your copyright queries, looking at:

• Copyright transfer agreements

• Creative Commons

• 3rd party copyright

• Open Access publisher requirements

The session will start with a 40 minute presentation, after which the time is open for you to raise questions and discuss issues you have encountered.

• Where should you publish your research?
• How do you assess the appropriateness of a journal for your work?
• How do you respond to reviewers?

Picking where to publish your research and in what format is an important decision to make.

This session looks at the things you need to consider in order to reach your audience effectively, including:

• Indicators to use to assess a journal - Journal Impact Factor, publisher fees and publication times
• Who should own the copyright to your work?
• What happens during peer-review

• Where should you publish your monograph or book chapter?
• How do you assess the appropriateness of a publisher for your work?

Picking where to publish your research and in what format is an important decision to make.

This session looks at the things you need to consider in order to reach your audience effectively, including:

• Turning your thesis into a monograph
• Choosing a publisher
• Understanding the publication process

You've published your research...now what should you do with it?

This session explores the whys and hows of sharing research - the options, the benefits and the logistics:

• Scholarly best practice for sharing research
• Opportunities for sharing offered by social media
• Benefits that sharing your research brings you and the wider community
• What your funder expects you to share.
• How to use the University repository, Apollo, to share your research and also access that of others
• Ways to find out who has been sharing, using and citing your published research

If you have recently started peer reviewing, or are ready to get involved, this is an unmissable chance to pick up tips and best practices from PLOS, publishers of the world's largest multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal.

The Office of Scholarly Communication invites you to join PLOS for an essential introduction to Peer Review.

You'll learn...

• the 3 questions you should always ask yourself when you're asked to do a review
• how to get ready to review and be recognized for your work
• how to read a manuscript with peer review in mind
• how to write the feedback you wish you'd received.

Stay on after the workshop to chat to PLOS staff and editors and enjoy light refreshments.

Understanding the peer review process gives you an invaluable insight into a key aspect of the research life cycle. This is an unmissable chance to explore tips and best practices with PLOS, publishers of the world's largest multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal.

The Office of Scholarly Communication invites you to join PLOS for an essential introduction to peer review. This session will allow you to develop an understanding of what peer review is and how it can impact the experience of researchers. Learn how you can use your existing skills to provide support and advice.

The session will also be useful for library staff who are interested in undertaking peer review themselves but are unsure of exactly what is involved.

You'll learn...

• how to support researchers who are conducting peer review
• the 3 questions researchers should always ask when they're asked to do a review
• how to get ready to review and be recognized for the work
• how to read a manuscript with peer review in mind
• how to write ideal feedback.

Stay on after the workshop to chat to PLOS staff and editors and enjoy light refreshments.

Some learned societies are increasingly dependent on publishing revenues, yet as open access becomes the new normal, researchers and librarians alike are questioning expensive subscription and publishing deals.

The Office of Scholarly Communication presents a panel debate for Open Access Week 2018 and Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2018. Join representatives from learned societies in the arts and sciences, including the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Historical Society, in conversation with their members within the University of Cambridge to ask ‘what is a learned society in the 21st century?’ How can the societies sustain their place in the academic landscape and answer the challenges created by open access requirements?

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event: visit our booking page.

The OSC is delighted to bring you a lunchtime screening of the documentary that has taken Open Access issues to the big screen.

Paywall: The Business of Scholarship is a documentary which focuses on the need for open access to research and science, questions the rationale behind the $25.2 billion a year that flows into for-profit academic publishers, examines the 35-40% profit margin associated with the top academic publisher Elsevier and looks at how that profit margin is often greater than some of the most profitable tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google.

Bring your lunch and enjoy some popcorn!

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event: visit our booking page.

If you have recently started receiving peer reviews, or would like to become a reviewer, this is an unmissable chance to pick up tips and best practices for responding to reviews, being noticed as a reviewer, getting your review done, and getting credit for your work

The Office of Scholarly Communication invites you to an essential introduction to Peer Review.

You'll learn...

• how to make the most of the peer review process
• how to increase the chance of being asked to review
• how to get ready to review and be recognized for your work
• how to write the feedback you wish you'd received.

The Office of Scholarly Communication invites you to join Naomi Penfold of ASAPbio for an hour of relaxed, small group discussions on how and why publishing is changing to become more transparent, and what this means for you.

Bring your lunch and join a 'discussion table' to explore questions such as...

• why change academic publishing?
• who and what is transparency good for?
• what should we not change?
• what are preprints and why bother?
• where does peer review fit in?

ASAPbio is a scientist-driven non-profit ensuring the voices of science and the scientist are represented in innovation to improve transparency in life science communication.

This event is open to all, although will be of particular relevance to those in biomedical and life sciences.