Emerging from the STM Meeting: 2015 Top Tech Trends

Each sector of the information community is aware of the likelihood that their role in the scholarly ecosystem will change over the next three to five years. Each sector’s perspective is just a bit different. Content providers in the STM world see the future unfolding this way.

Ethnography: A Scientist Discovers the Value of the Social Sciences

What do we mean by ethnographic research? In essence we are talking about a rich, multi-factorial descriptive approach. While quantitative research uses pre-existing categories in its analysis, qualitative research is open to new ways of categorizing data. We take a look at how we can use this technique to delve into the subtleties of online user behavior – a must for publishers and societies involved in new product development

The Ubiquitous Bookstore

There is much discussion now about creating new online bookstores, especially for academic publishers. Some of these discussions, however, are not aligned with overarching trends on the Internet and risk creating something that appears to be out of date the moment it is launched.

Personalizing Discovery without Sacrificing Serendipity

A researcher’s core interests may be in a specific set of areas, but effective discovery also helps that researcher to stay aware of adjacent areas of interest or even potential areas of unknown interest. Personalized approaches to discovery can improve research efficiency without sacrificing serendipity.

What We Got Wrong About Books

Lack of information about how books are actually used has resulted in a set of actions that don’t make solid economic sense. Now that more end-user information is becoming available, the book business is likely to adjust its practices.