Scholarly Communication

abstract grid of green tiles

Scholarly communication is the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use. It encompasses all steps associated with a research project, from the first idea to the final publication. 

Learn more above about how the library can support you at different stages of the publication lifecycle.

Get in Touch

For health science-related questions, email: medlibscholcomm@yale.edu

Learn more…


Publishing Considerations

Finding the Right Journal

Paid for by the Library

  • Cabell’s Journalytics Medicine – relevant information about medical and academic journals to help research professionals looking to publish research, review scholarly contributions, or gain accreditation.
  • Ulrichsweb.com – information about scholarly journals and other periodicals, along with what databases index a particular journal. 
  • Journal Citation Reports (JCR) – quantifiable statistical data that allows users to determine the relative importance of journals within a field – particularly in science, technology, and social sciences.

Available Open Access

Factors to Consider

NIH Public Access Policy – learn more about the policy and how to comply

Aim & scope: who is the journal’s intended audience (readers) and what discipline(s) does the journal encompass?

Article type & formatting: what kinds of articles a journal accepts and publishes (i.e. original research, review articles, opinion pieces, etc.), formatting style for submission

Journal reputation: impact factor, acceptance rate, citation rate, or the attention a journal’s work receives on social media and in the news

Peer review process: how your manuscript will be handled, how you will receive reviewer feedback, and how long the process takes

Publishing timeline: how long from submission to publication

Copyright: “original works” are protected by copyright and the copyright holder determines how reuse permissions are granted; read a publishing agreement or contract in its entirety before signing. Consider negotiating with the publisher to retain rights to your work, especially if you plan to build upon the work in the future.

Database indexing & discoverability: what databases the journal is indexed in

Predatory Publishing

Journals that pose as gold open access but have little to no review or editing process and publish at the author’s expense are known as predatory.

Tools to distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy publishers/journals:

Think Check Submit (free tool) – Use one of their thorough checklists to ensure that you are submitting your research to a trusted journal before you submit.

Cabell’s Predatory Reports (subscription tool, paid for by the library) – uses 60+ behavioral indicators to examine journals’ practices, so that users are alerted to deceptive behaviors and steer clear of exploitative operations.  

PubMed vs. PubMed Central

PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC) are often mistakenly thought of as the same database. To be officially recognized by PubMed, journals must be selected by the National Library of Medicine for inclusion in MEDLINE. This requires a review process to ensure that the journal meets the appropriate quality and technological standards necessary for inclusion in MEDLINE.

PubMed Central is a different database from PubMed and does not have the same stringent requirements for inclusion.  Articles from PMC may be searchable in PubMed, but this does not mean they are indexed in MEDLINE.  If a publisher claims that their journal is in PubMed, you should confirm that this means they are indexed in MEDLINE and not simply searchable in PubMed by appearing in PMC. 

The National Library of Medicine provides more information on the differences between PubMed and PMC.


Open Access

What is open access?

“Open Access” publishing refers to scholarship that is made freely available worldwide to anyone with an internet connection. “Hybrid” publishers employ both models, giving authors the option to choose whether their research will be published open access or not.

Benefits

  • Articles are:
    • available to the largest number of potential readers
    • indexed in the same services as their traditional counterparts, such as MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, among others
  • Authors:
    • typically retain copyright, allowing them to reproduce, distribute, reuse, and remix their research

Drawbacks

  • Some publishers charge article processing charges (APCs) that range from $500-$5,000 and may fall on the author
  • Authors may face restrictions on green open access publishing options

Publishing Open Access

Open access publishing models fall primarily into 2 categories: gold and green

Gold open access typically refers to an author working with a publisher to make the article version of record (VOR) freely available on a journal’s website. 

The green open access model refers to an author self-archiving their research in an institutional repository (IR), preprint server, or other venue. An author may pair the green open access model with other publishing types by placing a preprint of an article in an IR or other repository while also submitting the article to journals for publication. 

Yale Library maintains partnerships with several open access and hybrid publishers to provide Yale authors with a discount on APCs. View the list

Yale Library also supports initiatives that make scholarship more widely available to all researchers around the world. View the list of open access initiatives


Journals with APC Waivers

Here are 180 journals relevant to the medical campus in which Yale authors can publish open access articles without paying article processing charges. 

View the full list of publishing agreements (comprising over 700 journals) funded by the library.

Journal TitleJournal LinkPublisherAgreement Ends
Access MicrobiologyJournal HomepageMicrobiology Society12/31/2025
ACM / IMS Journal of Data ScienceJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable SocietiesJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Journal on Emerging Technologies in Computing SystemsJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Computing for HealthcareJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Internet TechnologyJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Modeling and Computer SimulationJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Privacy and SecurityJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Sensor NetworksJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Social ComputingJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
ACM Transactions on Spatial Algorithms and SystemsJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
Acta NeuropsychiatricaJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Ageing & SocietyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
American Journal of Law & MedicineJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Animal Health Research ReviewsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Animal NutriomicsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Animal WelfareJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare EpidemiologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Applied Physics ExpressJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Applied PsycholinguisticsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Behavioural and Cognitive PsychotherapyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Behavioural Public PolicyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Biochemical JournalJournal HomepagePortland Press
Biochemical SocietyJournal HomepagePortland Press
BiofabricationJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Biological ImagingJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Biology LettersJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Biomedical MaterialsJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Biomedical Physics & Engineering ExpressJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Bioscience ReportsJournal HomepagePortland Press
BJHS ThemesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
BJPsych AdvancesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
BJPsych BulletinJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
BJPsych InternationalJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
BJPsych OpenJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Brain ImpairmentJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
British Journal of NutritionJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental HealthJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Cambridge Prisms: Precision MedicineJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare EthicsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Canadian Journal of Neurological SciencesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissementJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Cardiology in the YoungJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Clinical ScienceJournal HomepagePortland Press
CNS SpectrumsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Data & PolicyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Development and PsychopathologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Digital Government: Research and PracticeJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
Disaster Medicine and Public Health PreparednessJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on RaceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
ECS AdvancesJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
ECS Sensors PlusJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Emerging Topics in Life SciencesJournal HomepagePortland Press
Enterprise & SocietyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Environmental Data ScienceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Environmental Research CommunicationsJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Environmental Research LettersJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Environmental Research: ClimateJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Environmental Research: EcologyJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Environmental Research: HealthJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Epidemiology & InfectionJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Epidemiology and Psychiatric SciencesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
European PsychiatryJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Expert Reviews in Molecular MedicineJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Finance and SocietyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Genetics ResearchJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Geo-Bio InterfacesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Global Health, Epidemiology and GenomicsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Global SustainabilityJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Gut MicrobiomeJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Health Economics, Policy and LawJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and BioinformaticsJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
Industrial and Organizational PsychologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Infection Control & Hospital EpidemiologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Interface FocusJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary MicrobiologyJournal HomepageMicrobiology Society12/31/2025
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health CareJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
International PsychogeriatricsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
International Review of the Red CrossJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Irish Journal of Psychological MedicineJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community DevelopmentJournal HomepageThomas A Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
Journal of Benefit-Cost AnalysisJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Biosocial ScienceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Breath ResearchJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Journal of Clinical and Translational ScienceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Journal of Data and Information QualityJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and DiseaseJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Financial and Quantitative AnalysisJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of General VirologyJournal HomepageMicrobiology Society12/31/2025
Journal of HelminthologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of International and Comparative Social PolicyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Laryngology & OtologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Law, Medicine & EthicsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Medical MicrobiologyJournal HomepageMicrobiology Society12/31/2025
Journal of Neural EngineeringJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Journal of Nutritional ScienceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Journal of Pension Economics & FinanceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Physics: ComplexityJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in SchoolsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Public PolicyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Race, Ethnicity and PoliticsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Radiological ProtectionJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Journal of Radiotherapy in PracticeJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Smoking CessationJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of Social PolicyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of the International Neuropsychological SocietyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Journal of the Royal Society InterfaceJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Machine Learning: Science and TechnologyJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Materials for Quantum TechnologyJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Medical HistoryJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Methods and Applications in FluorescenceJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Microbial GenomicsJournal HomepageMicrobiology Society12/31/2025
MicrobiologyJournal HomepageMicrobiology Society12/31/2025
National Institute Economic ReviewJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Neuromorphic Computing and EngineeringJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Neuronal SignalingJournal HomepagePortland Press
Notes and Records of the Royal SocietyJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Nutrition Research ReviewsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Open BiologyJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Palliative & Supportive CareJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
ParasitologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Personality NeuroscienceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society AJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society BJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Physical BiologyJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Physics EducationJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Physics in Medicine & BiologyJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Physiological MeasurementJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
PLOS BiologyJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS ClimateJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Complex SystemsJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Computational BiologyJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Digital HealthJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS GeneticsJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Global Public HealthJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS MedicineJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Mental HealthJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Neglected Tropical DiseasesJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS OneJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS PathogensJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS Sustainability & TransformationsJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
PLOS WaterJournal HomepagePLOS12/31/2027
Politics and the Life SciencesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Prehospital and Disaster MedicineJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Primary Health Care Research & DevelopmentJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous TechnologiesJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
Proceedings of the ACM on Management of DataJournal HomepageACM12/31/2025
Proceedings of the Nutrition SocietyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Proceedings of the Royal Society AJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Proceedings of the Royal Society BJournal HomepageRoyal Society12/31/2025
Progress in Biomedical EngineeringJournal HomepageInstitute of Physics Publishing12/31/2025
Psychological MedicineJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
PsychometrikaJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Public Health NutritionJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
QRB DiscoveryJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Research Directions: Biotechnology DesignJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Research Directions: Cyber-Physical SystemsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Research Directions: DepressionJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Research Directions: One HealthJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Research Directions: Sleep PsychologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Research Synthesis MethodsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Science in ContextJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Social Policy and SocietyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
State Politics & Policy QuarterlyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
The British Journal of PsychiatryJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
The Cognitive Behaviour TherapistJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
The Economic and Labour Relations ReviewJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
The Spanish Journal of PsychologyJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Transactions Essays in BiochemistryJournal HomepagePortland Press
Twin Research and Human GeneticsJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
UtilitasJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027
Visual NeuroscienceJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
Wearable TechnologiesJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, OA12/31/2027
ZygoteJournal HomepageCambridge University Press, hybrid12/31/2027

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an APC?

An Article Processing Charge or APC is affiliated with the gold open access publishing model.  Rather than funding publishing through institutional subscriptions, open access journals often fund their operations through APCs that the author, their institution, or funder pays after acceptance.  The APC amount varies drastically by subject and journal – APCs can be as low as $200 or as high as $11,000.  The best way to account for APCs is to build the cost of open access publishing into a grant application for sponsored research. 

What is meant by “research impact”?

‘Impact’ describes the reach and influence of a scholar’s work. Learn more about measuring research impact in this guide.

Can the Library help cover the cost of an APC?

While the Library supports open access funding and is continually searching for ways to better support authors who choose this model, at this time it is not financially possible for the Library to cover all APCs for all authors.  Much of the library’s collection funding goes toward providing access to subscription-based resources, which is still the prevailing model in academic publishing.  The Library is current seeking out memberships with publishers that will offset the cost of OA publishing, either through discounted APCs or full waivers.  While we cannot pay for individual APCs, we are continually working to develop solutions to shift the burden of these charges off of researchers and authors. APC costs differ dramatically by publisher and article type.  The best place to find the cost of an APC is through a publisher’s website.  

Where can I find out if a journal allows OA publishing avenues?

There are several tools that make finding information on open access, copyright, licensing, and publisher policies for individual journals easy (well, easier). Open policy finder is “an online resource that aggregates and analyses publisher open access policies from around the world and provides summaries of publisher copyright and open access archiving policies on a journal-by-journal basis”. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is another helpful directory for finding OA policies for a specific journal of interest. You should also check the publisher’s posted copyright policy for more information on gold OA availability and self-archiving options.

What is a preprint?

A preprint is a term generally used to describe an unpublished research paper. An author may decide to submit a preprint to a preprint server or repository to gather feedback from other scholars and/or make findings immediately accessible to the public, though these manuscripts do not go through a peer-review process. bioRxiv and medRxiv are two preprint servers that will likely align with the specialties of medical students and researchers at Yale. Yale helped co-found medRxiv.

What is an ORCID profile and how do I set one up?

ORCID is a unique identifier assigned to an individual author to link the author to their scholarship across all platforms and potential name disambiguations. ORCID is free to sign up for and can help paint a more accurate picture of author impact by linking all of the author’s works and distinguishing between similarly named authors.  Some grant funding bodies now require an ORCID with manuscript submission.  Sign up for ORCID.

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