Scholarly communication can be a loaded term. It may sound like something that only belongs in an ivory tower. The misconception is understandable: academic publishers, peer review types and open access options seem irrelevant for most library work. But that is not true. In fact, scholarly works have significant influences on the education of future generations, as well as our cultural, social and political lives, public health and technological innovation. Scholarly communication is about understanding research and publication practices – essentially, it is about how knowledge is produced and disseminated. A basic understanding of scholarly communication is essential to comprehend and interpret journalistic pieces or social media postings involving terms such as ‘peer-reviewed’ or ‘preprints’ and to spot and stop potential misinformation and disinformation. In practice, scholarly communication is about supporting researchers in their publication process, dissemination and societal impact.

On reflection, my first scholarly communication conundrum happened when my very first article was accepted for publication. I was very lucky to be guided by my mentors throughout the publication process: selecting the appropriate journal, responding to peer-review comments and formatting the list of references in accordance with the house style. It was an exhilarating experience for a PhD candidate. However, when I was asked to sign the publishing agreement, I was not prepared to give away the copyright of the article – is this a common practice? Is there any way I can negotiate to retain the intellectual property of my work? But I was left with no option. Having a publication in a well-respected journal is essential for an early-career researcher. The publisher did not seem to allow any kind of negotiation, either. The automated system seemed to convey the message: transfer the copyright and get published or withdraw the article.

Not without reservations, the publishing agreement was signed and the copyright transferred. The excitement of receiving feedback (and perhaps recognition) from peers and the prospect of going on the job market with a track record overshadowed the vexed question of intellectual property. Then, some months later, I was asked if a translated version of the article could be published in a non-English-language journal. A meeting with a legal advisor was somewhat confusing: strictly speaking, I do not own the copyright of the article and hence cannot exercise any rights; then might there be leeway, since the translation would likely be different from the original article?