Open Access Embargoes — How Long Is Long Enough?
Most publishers offering delayed free access to journal articles set their embargo period more than a decade ago. Is it time to revisit the access embargo?
The Secret Life of Retracted Articles
Retracted papers continue to persist on public websites, in institutional repositories and personal libraries years after they are formally retracted. What can be done to help correct the scientific record?
Policy, Shmolicy: Many Authors Disregard Self-Archiving Embargoes
When it comes to self-archiving final manuscripts, NIH-funded authors either do not understand–or blatantly disregard–government and publisher policy. What can be done?
Why Do We Allow Poor Science to Guide Policy?
Science policy is often guided by poorly-constructed and highly biased survey results. Shouldn’t we demand more?
Citation Cartel Journals Denied 2011 Impact Factor
Fifty-one journals are suspended from the Journal Citation Report for “anomalous citation patterns.” Whether or not you agree with the impact factor, sanctions help maintain the integrity of the scientific publishing enterprise for everyone.
PeerJ: Silicon Valley Culture Enters Academic Publishing
PeerJ is bringing something new to scholarly publishing, but it’s not a business model or a technology approach — it’s a mindset.
Is PeerJ Membership Publishing Sustainable?
The details of PeerJ’s business model raise many questions, some of which may pertain to inherent Silicon Valley ways of doing business, others to efforts to create a community of required activity.
Non-Disclosure Agreements — Economic Tool or Kabuki Theatre?
The use of NDAs is praised by some, abhorred by others. Why they exist in pricing negotiations reveals a lot about not only about market forces, but also the value of discretion.
The Black Market for Facebook "Likes," and What It Means for Citations and Alt-Metrics
Purchasing artificial trust and reputation on the Internet has never been easier or cheaper. What does this mean for metrics-based evaluations?
Publish-or-Perish Culture Promotes Scientific Narcissism
Publication rewards productive scientists but has the unintended consequences of isolating scholars, reducing knowledge transfer and steering scientists away from engaging in policy and the press.
Universal Citation Paper Lacks Universality
A bold claim that citation impact is comparable across fields is disputed by researchers who question why uncited papers were excluded from the analysis.
The Emergence of a Citation Cartel
Cheap, effective, and nearly undetectable — editors devise citation cartels to drive up their journal’s impact factor.
The (Post) Dating Game — Assembling the Evidence
Testing the hypothesis that editors are manipulating publication dates to increase their journal’s Impact Factor.
Does Post-Dating Publication Help Journal Impact Factors?
Publishing an article online and then post-dating its “official” publication several months later may be used to game a journal’s impact factor, a scientist claims.
Torte Reform: Elsevier Cuts Library Dessert Reception
Elsevier cancels its vaunted dessert reception for 2013 ALA Midwinter. Public relations director cites “conspicuous lack of appreciation” from librarians.