Title: Publishing Agreements

*Updated: June 2024
Learning Objectives:

- Identify key elements of an academic publishing agreement
- Locate support regarding authors' rights and publisher negotiations in a post-secondary context
- Understand the evolving scholarly communication ecosystem

Fun fact: Edgar Allan Poe advocated for international copyright laws
"As Edgar Allan Poe explained:
The want of an International Copy-Right Law, by rendering it nearly impossible to obtain anything from the booksellers in the way of remuneration for literary labor, has had the effect of forcing many of our very best writers into the service of the Magazines and Reviews… Poe 1845: 103)"

Excerpt from Property in Print: Copyright Law, Cultural Conceptions of Authorship, and the American Magazine Industry.

Definition of "postprint"
“Postprint” or “Accepted Manuscript” is often defined as the article after peer-review revisions are made but before the publisher adds pagination and other formatting. Some publishers provide authors with a separate postprint PDF, some do not. Note that terminology and definitions can vary by publisher.

The standard form publishing agreement is:

Q: The standard form publishing agreement is:
- Negotiable and should be carefully examined (correct)
- Negotiable, but only with an expensive, fancy lawyer
- Based on an equal partnership between the author and the publisher
- Written in stone

When analyzing an academic publishing agreement

Q: When analyzing an academic publishing agreement, it is important to compare your existing commitments, the granting agency requirements, and the ways in which you intend to use your work in the future against the terms of the publishing agreement.
A: true

Failure to comply with a granting agency’s open access policy may result in:

Q: Failure to comply with a granting agency’s open access policy may result in:
- It becoming more difficult to receive funding from that agency in the future (correct)
- An article not being published
- A lawsuit
- Increased teaching load

When interpreting the language of an academic publishing agreement it is critical to review:

Q: When interpreting the language of an academic publishing agreement it is critical to review:
- The “Author Rights Retained” section of the publishing agreement (correct)
- Your employment contract
- Every detail of the Copyright Act

If language in the agreement is unclear, it is a good idea to contact:

Q: If language in the agreement is unclear, it is a good idea to contact:
- The publisher’s liaison
- Your institution’s copyright expert
- A lawyer
- Any or all of these (correct)

The changing world of scholarly communications is characterized by:

Q: The changing world of scholarly communications is characterized by:
- The evolving nature of publishing agreements (correct)
- Libraries and taxpayers refusing to pay for articles
- Publishers embracing open access
- Governments no longer funding research

Granting agencies often require:

Q: Granting agencies often require:
- That authors ensure their articles are made open access (correct)
- That participants receive a copy of research articles
- A promise of a first born child
- That articles only be made available in print

Choose the correct statement.

Credits: Publishing Agreements; by University of Alberta; 2019; licence CC BY 4.0