Scholarly communication is the field in which academic output and research is produced, reviewed, and disseminated. Once a scholar's work is submitted for review and approval, the work is then submitted for publication. Once published, institutions, particularly libraries, will purchase the published works from commercial publishers, organize it and provide access to their patrons.
Such was the traditional model of scholarly communication. Because of ever increasing costs of works from commercial publishers, libraries have had to consider new models for the acquisition and dissemination of scholarly research. One method has been the increased transition from printed works to electronic resources, though this change has significantly complicated matters of publishing and accessing scholarly information.
This guide will attempt to elaborate on some of the concepts and tools that researchers, libraries, and institutions are implementing to foster new ways to develop and promote scholarly communication practice. Such resources include increased attention to institutional repositories (IRs), Open Educational Resources (OERs), copyright, new forms of licensing, open access and fair use guidelines.