As an academic author, your primary concern is getting your research published in the best journal in your field or in a monograph.  But you should also consider that most publishers will expect you to sign an author agreement that will transfer the copyright completely to the publisher and require you to ask permission to reuse your own work. This is usually the last step in the process, after peer review is complete.

The UCLA Library urges you to negotiate to retain your rights.  Contact Us to set up a consultation; UCLA librarians are available to review author agreements and suggest additional language you may want to include in the author agreement.