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Scholarly Resources and Services

An introduction to scholarly communication and various resources for researchers at UWG.

What is Scholarly Communication?

What is Scholarly Communication?

Scholarly communication is defined as "the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use. The system includes both formal means of communication, such as publication in peer-reviewed journals, and informal channels, such as electronic listservs (ACRL, 2003)."   

UWG's Riff on the Definition

Scholarly communication includes the research outputs of all academic disciplines represented at the University of West Georgia, including those that are practice-based or focused on creative inquiry.  Thus, in addition to traditional publication, scholarly communication at UWG includes research outputs as varied as inventions, software, masterclass workshops, lecture-recitals, gallery showings, performances and other public displays, multidimensional objects, multimedia, and many more products of academic inquiry besides.

Key Components of Scholarly Communication Highlighted 

 

(Diagram Source -- ACRL, 2010 via Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)

Scholarly communication is differentiated from the writings of public intellectuals and the output of general entertainers, artists, and members of the basic workforce an terms of intended audience, level of expertise held by the creator of the information, and peer review.  

  • Expertise -- Scholarly communication is undertaken by those who have advanced knowledge of their field who intentionally engage with its theories, ideas, information, and experiences. During the course of these of investigations and experiments the scholar may advance knowledge in their speciality through innovative summaries or syntheses, evaluating the work of others, advancing the work of others, or opening new seams of inquiry entirely.  At times, students may produce work deemed to meet one or more of these goals and thus may be encouraged by their professors to share their output with a broader audience through publication or presentation. 
  • Audience -- While often able to be appreciated by (and sometimes commercialized for) the general public, professionals in the field comprise a segment of the target audience.  
  • Review -- Evaluation by peers (or in the case of  an aspiring scholar, professionals with expertise in the field) is encouraged and welcomed by the producer of the information, object, or display.  

General Resources on Scholarly Communication

Association of College and Research Libraries. October 10, 2020.  "Scholarly Communication Toolkit."  http://https://acrl.libguides.com/scholcomm/toolkit. 

Meece, Stephanie, Amy Robinson, and Marie-Therese Gramstadt. 2017. “Engaging Researchers With the World’s First Scholarly Arts Repositories: Ten Years After the UK’s Kultur Project.” New Review of Academic Librarianship 23 (2/3): 209–32. doi:10.1080/13614533.2017.1320767. (Access requires UWG NetID).