What is Academic Publishing?

Academic publishing is the portion of the publishing industry devoted to printing the work of academics. Publishing houses that specialize in academic books and journals, largely composed of university presses, generally publish the scholarship and research of professors and other academic professionals but also that of graduate students in many cases. There are a wide variety of academic journals and specialized book series that focus on publishing the work of academics from specific disciplines, such as the various departments within the broader categories of arts and sciences, that are largely marketed to and targeted toward other academics working within that discipline or a related department. A large percentage of academic publishing requires some degree of editorial peer review in which the work is gauged by other academics within the discipline for its relevance to and originality within the field of inquiry in question.

Success within the majority of academic fields is contingent upon the publication of a certain degree of scholarly work or research. The quantity of publications expected of a professor depends on the discipline in which she or he specializes and the status of the institution at which she or he is employed. Prior to publication, most academic work is evaluated by other academics working in the field, which allows for the writer to receive feedback on the work while it is in progress. In addition, book chapters often appear first in the form of journal articles during the writing process, providing an opportunity for the writer to gauge reactions to his or her work through additional peer review.

Journals are often specialized to publish scholarly articles from specific academic disciplines. Many journals, however, tend to publish the work of scholars from different, though related, disciplines. As a result, this component of the academic publishing industry can function to foster an interdisciplinary approach to the scholarly issues that the journal focuses on. This can lead toward additional interdisciplinary work in the books that emerge from the articles published.

Owing to the specialization involved in the majority of academic work, academic publishing largely functions within a university environment. Journals and books are published by university presses and purchased by university libraries and university professors. Online access to academic publications is often also available through access on the online server of a university that has purchased online access to the publications. The availability and quantity of published academic work has increased steadily since the development of electronic publishing in the 1990s.