This accessible and highly practical book provides an introductory guide to the world of research support in the academic library. Academic libraries have seen huge changes in recent years thanks to the increasing availability of information online but they are now undergoing another shift. As libraries move away from providing access to existing information and towards helping users create new knowledge there is an opportunity for them to develop new services for the research community. To do this successfully libraries need to have a knowledgeable workforce who are equipped to provide the support that researchers need. Information professionals are increasingly being asked to advise their users on issues such as open access and research data management but are often doing so with little or no formal preparation. Outlining the reasons why library staff need to develop a knowledge of research support and guiding them through the key information on each topic, The No-nonsense Guide to Research Support and Scholarly Communication provides an ideal primer for those who seek to work in this area or those who have acquired these responsibilities as part of a wider role. Amazon.com summary
Contents
Scholarly communication 101. What's in a name? -- 21st-century researcher in the 21-century library -- Open research -- Research lifecycle -- Research data management. What is research data? -- Why manage data? -- Areas of research data management -- Data management plans -- Supporting researchers -- Open access. What is open access? -- History of open access -- Increasing importance of open access -- Benefits of open access -- Open access: back to basics -- Open access monographs -- Concerns about open access -- Supporting researchers -- Disseminating research results. Why do researchers need to publish? -- Barriers to publication -- Publication lifecycle -- Decisions about format and publisher -- Predatory publishers -- Peer review -- Sharing research -- Promoting research -- Supporting researchers -- Metrics and measuring impact. What are metrics? -- Bibliometrics -- Altmetrics -- Limitations of metrics -- Responsible metrics -- What is impact and why is it important? -- How to choose the right metrics -- Supporting researchers -- Career paths in research support. Scholarly communication skills in theory -- Scholarly communication skills in practice -- Job roles in research support and scholarly communication -- Case studies -- Develop your skills -- Getting involved in the scholarly communication process. Different types of research -- Why should librarians get involved in the research process? -- Developing skills through research -- Barriers to research -- How to get involved in research.
