UC Berkeley Library’s Scholarly Communication and Information Policy office is pleased to collaborate with Authors Alliance on our fall semester workshops for new academic authors.
The workshop series provides authors with the legal and professional frameworks necessary to navigate the modern publishing landscape. Sessions will address the complexities of copyright and generative AI, practical guidance for publishing a scholarly book, and the careful use of metrics to assess and enhance impact.
All events are free and all authors are welcome to attend. Event descriptions and links to RSVP are below. Please feel free to share with interested students and colleagues.
Workshops
Copyright and Your Dissertation
Date/Time: Thursday, September 17, 2026, 11am PT / 2pm ET
RSVP to get the Zoom link
This workshop will provide you with practical guidance for navigating copyright questions and other legal considerations for your dissertation or thesis. Whether you’re just starting to write or you’re getting ready to file, you can use our tips to figure out what you can use, what rights you have as an author, and what it means to share your dissertation online.
Managing and Maximizing Your Scholarly Impact
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 11am PT / 2pm ET
RSVP to get the Zoom link
This workshop will provide you with practical strategies and tips for promoting your scholarship, increasing your citations, and monitoring your success. You’ll also learn how to understand metrics, use scholarly networking tools, and evaluate journals and publishing options, including open access publishing options.
From Dissertation to Book: Navigating the Publication Process
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 11am PT / 2pm ET
RSVP to get the Zoom link
Hear from a panel of experts—an acquisitions editor, a first-time book author, and an author rights expert—about the process of turning your dissertation into a book. You’ll come away from this panel discussion with practical advice about revising your dissertation, writing a book proposal, approaching editors, signing your first contract, and navigating the peer review and publication process.
Research & Writing in the Age of AI: Legal and Practical Considerations
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 11am PT/ 2pm ET
RSVP to get the Zoom link
This workshop will help you navigate the legal and practical questions that AI tools raise for academic authors.
The first part of the session will explore how using AI tools in research implicates a range of legal issues that researchers—and the libraries that support them—need to navigate. We’ll examine whether feeding content into AI tools qualifies as fair use under copyright law, and how overarching contracts such as library e-resource agreements or a website’s terms of use may restrict, shape, or even override your fair use rights. We’ll explore whether those clickthrough or browsewrap terms of use are enforceable, and why you may need to pay closer attention to them than you think.
The second part of the session will cover how using AI in your writing can affect your copyright and authorship, what current publisher and journal policies require you to disclose, and how AI training on scholarly work intersects with your rights as an author.
You’ll leave with a working understanding of where the law currently stands, what remains unsettled, and how to make informed choices about using these tools in your own work.
Other ways we can help you
In addition to the workshops, we’re here to help answer a variety of questions you might have on intellectual property, digital publishing, and information policy.
- Have a question about copyright and artificial intelligence (AI) in relation to research and scholarship? Or your rights and responsibilities in using library-licensed materials for AI use? View the AI page on our website for guidance.
- Keep an eye on the Library’s events calendar for more workshops and trainings.
Want help or more information? Send us an email at schol-comm@berkeley.edu. We can provide individualized support and personal consultations, online class instruction, presentations and workshops for small or large groups & classes, and customized support and training for departments and disciplines.
