Weathering the Storm: What Will 2025 Bring for Academia?
My glass of optimism is usually full. But my glass is leaking now, or maybe it’s broken? The realities of the new political landscape have cast its shadow on the future of academia.
Ask the Chefs: Making Sense of Changing US Policies
We asked the Chefs to weigh in on the policy chaos emerging from Washington over the last ten days.
Guest Post: Reflections from The Munin Conference Part Two – Open Science
This is the second article of three in a guest series reflecting on the main themes and ideas gathered and discussed at The Munin Conference at the end of 2024. Today’s focus is Open Science.
The Year in Review: 2024 in The Scholarly Kitchen
Before we plunge into 2025, a look back at 2024, a year of uncertainty in The Scholarly Kitchen.
Guest Post: The Perennial Question of Librarian Credentialing
A new survey looks at the philosophies and practices around librarian credentialing in the United States.
Chatting at the Kitchen Table about India’s ONOS Deal
India’s recently announced One Nation, One Subscription plan is in some ways an audacious step into the future and, in other ways, an embrace of the past. What are its implications?
Ethics In Scholarly Publishing Is More Than Following Guidelines
Without understanding the dimensions of ethics in scholarly communications, our attempts at improving the system through tools and training may not be effective and sustainable.
Access to Science & Scholarship: An Interview with Amy Brand of MIT Press
On September 20, 2024, MIT Press hosted a workshop, Access to Science & Scholarship: An Evidence Base to Support the Future of Open Research Policy. I interviewed Amy Brand to discuss the goals and outcomes of the workshop.
Disruption As an End in Itself: eLife’s Suspension and DORA’s Response
DORA’s reaction to Clarivate’s decision to no longer fully index eLife (and, therefore, not to give it a Journal Impact Factor) seems inconsistent with both its and eLife’s public positions, and based on the mistaken belief that “disruption” is an absolute good in itself.
It’s a New World? Revisiting What Universities — and Researchers, Libraries, and Publishers — Owe Democracy
In light of recent events, we revisit Karin Wulf’s 2022 post which declared that universities need democracy, and vice versa, and discussed an important book which shows the 20th century history of that relationship in the United States, and offers a prescription for what we do as both are imperiled.
Scholarly Publishing: The Elephant (And Other Wildlife) In The Room
Journal-based scholarly communication needs a structural change
Guest Post: This Open Access Week Theme Has a Distinguished History
Some thoughts on this year’s Open Access Week theme, “community over commercialization.”
Lessons Learned from a Fair Use Defeat
Several weeks ago, the Internet Archive lost its appeal of the lawsuit brought by a group of publishers opposed to its controlled digital lending programs. Roger Schonfeld examines what can be learned from this fair use defeat.
Guest Post — Is AI the Answer to Peer Review Problems, or the Problem Itself?
Are there ways to use AI in the research workflow to speed up the peer review process — and, while we’re at it, to address some of the other problems around bias and quality?
Ask the Community — Thoughts on a Class Action Lawsuit Brought Against Scholarly Publishers
Antitrust litigation has been filed against six major scholarly publishers. We reached out to the community for their thoughts.