Copyright Transfer: An assignment, exclusive license, or other conveyance of copyright ownership. Publishing agreements may call for an author to transfer some or all of their rights to the publisher.
DOI: A Digital Object Identifier (DOI), is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or document and link to it on the web. It may be helpful to think of DOI like a Social Security number for an article. Each article only has one, and it will always refer to just that article.
Embargo: The period of time in which the author may not make the work publicly available.
Index: In the context of scholarly journal publishing, an index is a list of journals that may be organized by subject area, type of publication, etc. Generally speaking, journals that are included in an index have gone through a vetting process in order to be included, which lends to their credibility.
Institutional Repository: An online database or archive that provides access to digital collections, such as electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), preprints, or faculty scholarship. Also, a digital repository designed to collect the intellectual output of a particular institution or university.
ISSN: An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an 8-digit code used to identify newspapers, journals, magazines and periodicals of all kinds and on all media–print and electronic. ISSNs are generally found on the homepage or on the main menu, if it is an online publication, or on any visible part of a physical publication.
Open Access (OA): In the context of scholarly publishing, OA refers to work that is "digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions." In addition, "OA works to remove price barriers (subscriptions, licensing fees, pay-per-view fees) and permission barriers (most copyright and licensing restrictions)." See Peter Suber's Open Access Overview for more information.
Peer Review: Peer review refers to the process of evaluating the work of an author by one or more people with similar knowledge. It helps to ensure publications are high-quality and lends credibility to the journal.
Post-Print/Accepted Manuscript: The version of an article that has been through the peer-review process, incorporating reviewer comments
Predatory Publisher: A predatory publisher is an opportunistic publishing venue that exploits the academic need to publish but offers little reward for those using their services. A predatory publisher's goal is to make money.
Pre-Print/Author's Manuscript: The original submitted version of a manuscript
Publisher's PDF/Publisher's Version: The final version of record of a manuscript, including the publisher's typeset.
Research Impact: Research impact may include traditional factors such as citation counts and journal reputation as well as newer measures that look at the reach and visibility of the work through downloads, saves, and views, and mentions on blogs and other social media. For more information about research impact, see this guide.
