Scholarly communication is a process taking place in specific social and cultural conditions, aimed at sharing the effects of research work - whether individual or institutional, getting to know the publications of other authors, gaining new knowledge, also through participation in discussions with other participants of the research process. This process includes both specific communication techniques and means for producing scientific content (scientific epistolography - private letters and so-called open letters, writing, print, computer, computer networks, software, mobile data carriers) and forms (channels) of transmitting information related to scientific activity (correspondence networks, polemics, discussions, printed scientific periodicals, e-mail - from 1971, mailing lists - from 1975, e-journals, repositories of digital publications, online scientific services). All these components depend on the technological development of the society in which the research process takes place. Scholarly communication is identified with the process of publishing articles in traditional scientific journals (since the 17th century) as well as those operating "online" (21st century). In recent years, the way scientists share their research with others and exchange knowledge in the scientific community has been undergoing a kind of conversion. Technological and social development resulted in the emergence of a new model of scholarly communication.
The natural environment in which modern scholarly communication takes place is essentially the online environment - the Internet. According to the modern definition proposed by the European Commission open scholarly communication consists of 4 elements:
- open review
- open review policy for publishers of scientific journals
- the use of altmetric indicators to assess the social impact of scientific publications, and
- correction and retraction
The main communication channels in this model for the distribution of knowledge are essentially open e-journals, online repositories, science blogs, e-laboratories and other online services in which research results (financed mainly from public funds - whether in the form of open publications or open research data) are made available in open access regardless of place and time.