Cross-posted from the Claire T. Carney Library News Blog
Are you a faculty member at UMass Dartmouth navigating the often-complex world of academic publishing? Maybe you’re an experienced researcher looking to stay informed about the latest in scholarly communication best practices? If so, The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication—available to you through the Claire T. Carney Library—is a resource to help guide you through every stage of the scholarly and publication process.
It is not just a style guide, and it is not just for chemists! The ACS Guide is a comprehensive roadmap for every stage of the scholarly process, and it is a powerful tool to help you build your publication record.
As new or experienced faculty, you are juggling teaching, service, and the pressure of the tenure or promotion track. Effective and efficient publishing is key to your success, and The ACS Guide can offer critical support.
Publishing success starts with clear, impactful writing. The ACS Guide provides in-depth instruction on effective writing and word usage, not just in chemistry, but in all STEM fields. It covers everything from article organization and chemical nomenclature to clearly presenting complex data. The Guide can help you craft manuscripts that are professional, concise, and ready for peer review.
The Guide also provides up-to-date information on timely topics specifically crucial for early-career researchers:
- Open Access (OA) and Preprints: Understand the benefits, guidelines, and compliance requirements for sharing your research early and broadly. (Tip: UMassD has an ACS Read & Publish Agreement!) The Guide helps you align your work with these opportunities.
- Data Sharing and Research Integrity: Learn best practices for managing, sharing, and citing your research data—essential for transparency and reproducibility.
- Ethics in Publication: Gain clarity on authorship, plagiarism, figure manipulation, and the peer review process to ensure you maintain the highest ethical standards.
Finally, while The Guide is the definitive source for ACS Style, its guidance on references is extensive, covering citations for diverse formats like datasets, software, and, yes, even generative AI. Following ACS rules ensures your references are accurate and complete.
(Another tip: talk with your librarian about keeping track of references and making the most out of citation management platforms and software like Mendeley or Zotero.)
Other quick tips:
- If you didn’t bookmark the link, you can always access The ACS Guide from the Claire T. Carney Library website by searching for the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication in the “Search Primo” box.
- While you might initially turn to it for citation questions, other helpful chapters are Organization of Your Article, Selecting a Scientific Journal, and Communicating Safety Information. These chapters are particularly effective in helping authors map out all of their research and communication strategies.
- Take advantage of The Guide‘s regular updates. Keep an eye out for new sections on topics like Effective Slide Presentations or Deriving a Citation for a New Content Type (ahem: AI), to ensure your work reflects the latest standards and grant compliance.
For more information on access, the ACS Read & Publish agreement, or for general questions, please contact Emma Wood, Scholarly Communication Librarian; Sara Pike, Electronic Resources Librarian; or Kate Boylan, STEM Librarian.
