This page introduces some of the key aspects of publishing, giving you some basic information to get started, with our other pages within this guide going into more depth on specific aspects.
On this page:
Publishing is a huge part of being an academic. Getting your work out there for others to see, read, and base their own research on is often the first step to creating impact and influencing society. The current publishing environment is highly competitive and it can sometimes feel like there is an overwhelming amount of information out there, so we've broken the basics down for you here. If you can't find the answers you're looking for here, we are more than happy to help - simply get in touch.
Research is diverse, and as such, so are the outputs to which that research leads. In scholarly publishing we traditionally think of the following:
While this guide will generally focus on these formats of publication, much of the guidance will also be relevant to more diverse output types such as:
Peer review is a crucial part of the academic publishing process. Having work read and reviewed by fellow academics before publication helps to ensure works that are published are of a high quality. Peer review is therefore there to improve the quality of academic works.
As an author, putting a paper through the peer review process can feel daunting. It's always helpful to remember that peer review is a constructive process, and will help to create the best version of your work.
As a researcher, you will see both sides of the peer review process. One day you may be responding to comments provided on your own work, and the next day you may be reviewing a paper written by one of your peers. With this in mind, the below slides explore the peer review process from both perspectives: as a reviewer, and a reviewee.
An accessible PDF version of the slides is available alongside the slides visible below.
Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are standardised, long-lasting digital references that uniquely identify publications, authors, and organisations such as Universities. Using and including these identifiers in your publications, grant applications, and institutional profiles increases discoverability, ensures accurate attribution, and strengthens the visibility of your research.
Use the tabs above to find out more about the most widely used identifiers that researchers encounter.
Find out more about ORCID on our Online Research Profiles page.
The traditional model of academic publishing restricts access to published works through requiring either individual purchase or subscribed access. This is why in many cases you need to log in using your University of Essex credentials to access scholarly content like journal articles and academic monographs. In contrast, open access publishing is a model of scholarly communication that makes research outputs freely available online, without paywalls or subscription barriers, allowing anyone to read, share, and build upon the work.
By removing restrictions on access, open access promotes wider dissemination of knowledge, accelerates scientific discovery, and ensures that publicly funded research is accessible to the public, policy makers, and practitioners. This openness fosters collaboration across disciplines and borders, reduces inequalities in access to information, and supports greater transparency and reproducibility in research. Ultimately, open access publishing plays a crucial role in democratising knowledge and advancing global progress.
At the University of Essex, we encourage research to be as open as possible, and as closed as necessary. As such, we facilitate a variety of options to achieve open access for your publications. Find out more by visiting our open access publishing page.
This page gives a quick introduction to publishing. If you want to take things further, take a look at our deeper dives:
If you have any questions, or would like some support that isn't on our webpages, feel free to contact the Research Services Team.
Except where otherwise noted, this work by University of Essex Library and Cultural Services is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
