Online Information, Ebooks, and Moral Panic
Why do ebooks—and e-information generally—cause such teeth-grinding rage and rhetorical hysteria in some people?
Quantitative Comments — Highlighting Some of the Math About Finances and Profits Contributed by Readers
Recent comments on a post about Gold OA in the UK dissected a lot of assertions we commonly see, and bear a closer reading.
The Conversations We're Not Having — Overcoming Uncertainty, Chilling Effects, and Open Access Complacency
While open access remains a hot topic in our industry, we may not be discussing the most difficult aspects. Worse, OA proponents themselves may not be answering some of the questions that are now arising as a broader swath of academics, scientists, and administrators become aware of OA.
Are US Taxpayers the Primary Beneficiaries of the NIH Public Access Policy?
New evidence suggests that US taxpayers are not the major beneficiaries of the NIH Public Access Policy, and that even within the NIH, there has been some unease about the situation.
Stick to Your Ribs: Governance and the Not-for-profit Publisher
In this “Stick to Your Ribs,” we revisit a post by Joe Esposito about not-for-profit governance, and the broader concept of the value of expertise.
Book Review — "The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths"
A new book about the role of governments in long-term R&D and market-creation functions should send shockwaves through the political system over the coming decades. Fortunately, you can read it now.
Scholarly Kitchen Podcast: Jeffrey Beall on "Predatory Open Access"
Librarian Jeffrey Beall talks about his list of predatory open access journals, the potential pitfalls of article-level metrics, and more.
Google Wins One: No Class Status for Authors Guild
Google wins an appeal on class status for the Authors Guild lawsuit. This decision may have far-reaching effects on the case and fair use principles.
The Price of Posting — PubMed Central Spends Most of Its Budget Handling Author Manuscripts
New documents obtained via an ongoing FOIA request show that PubMed Central spends most of its money tagging author manuscripts, and that its stricter rules for NIH authors may double its costs.
Interview With Mike Rossner: On Scientific Integrity, Making Research Data Publicly Available and Routes to Open Access
An interview with MIke Rossner, former Director of Rockefeller University Press.
PubMed Central and F1000 Research — More Signs of Favoritism and Activism, and More Conflicts of Interest
More indications of favoritism and cronyism, this time stretching back from F1000 Research to BioMed Central, and more mismanaged conflicts of interests. The common thread may be a new “old boys” network.
Open Access – Keeping It Real
Like rock and roll, Open Access is here to stay but, as with rock and roll, it doesn’t always live up to its own hype.
A New Head Chef in the Kitchen — Changes in Leadership Mean Changes in Leadership
Changes are afoot in the Kitchen, as leadership roles switch and we position ourselves for future success.
Observations from the SSP Annual Meeting — Dogma, Domination vs. Disruption, and Working to Scale
As Day 1 of the SSP Annual Meeting draws to a close, a few ideas seemed worth sharing.
Austerity Research — When Ideology and Polemicism Overwhelm Facts and Logic
An economics paper’s failings in substance and pre-publication and post-publication processes holds many lessons, not the least of which is about the poisonous environment of discourse we have allowed to form.