With the expansion of open access in higher education, issues related to author rights and copyright are becoming increasingly complex. Academics seeking to publish their work have more options available to them, but at the same time are faced with a bewildering array of publishing venues and a labyrinth of copyright laws and contracts. Lack of familiarity with these issues can cause authors considerable stress but can also prevent them from making the choices that best meet their current and future needs. Graduate students are particularly vulnerable, yet even experienced faculty do not always know, for example, what their rights are or what they should be negotiating when they submit work for publication. Understanding the various publishing venues and the ins and outs of copyright and contracts is therefore essential in the age of open access.

Drawing on personal experience as a copyright and author rights librarian as well as on research conducted at other academic institutions, this presentation will address the most frequent questions and concerns of faculty and graduate students in the process of publishing their research, as well as the most common problems they face during and following the publishing process. It will also discuss solutions and providing support to authors. Issues range from choosing a venue for publication, understanding the difference between the traditional publishing model and alternatives such as open access, knowing how to negotiate one’s rights as an author and the implications of these choices. Understanding the problems and questions academic authors face will help support services, such as university libraries and research offices, to better advise them and meet their needs.