PLoS' 2010 Progress Update — Pondering the Implications of a Watershed Year
PLoS turns its first surplus. What will this mean for an organization accustomed to acting like the rebel?
Rallying Cries vs. Reality: Profits and Publishing Meet Academics and Idealism
The comments on a recent post revealed a litany of rhetoric that doesn’t quite match up with nuanced reality.
Graphical Displays, Statistics, and Thinking Straight — "Picturing the Uncertain World"
Simplifying the complex isn’t a simple task. A new book by a practiced hand and statistician proves entertaining and enlightening.
Mountains Out of Molehills, and the Search for a Retraction Index
A retraction study hits some familiar conceptual problems, and a proposed retraction index runs into a deeper issue.
"The Eve of Destruction," Now on YouTube
Publishers habitually adopt a pessimistic outlook about their business, but the trends for the industry are very good. Pessimism is the real problem.
"Librarians" — An Endangered Species?
A recent analysis suggests some worrisome trends for librarianship.
I'm Being Followed — New Advertising Technologies and User Self-Identity
Following users across the Web is an increasingly common way to expand ad inventory. But can scholarly publishers expect users to accept it?
The Attention Economy — Coming To a Theater Near You
The attention economy gets a theatrical/thriller treatment. Time is money.
What Happens If Science Becomes a Low-Yield Activity?
Smaller animals, smaller planets, smaller elements, and fewer effective drugs — is science becoming lower-yield, even at the paradigm level?
Creativity or Responsibility — What Happens When an Organization Chooses Poorly?
Google and Apple have different cultures. One is thriving while one has chosen a different path. That choice may prove significant.
Is Something Fishy Going On? Citations Suggest Correction Comes Slowly, If It Comes At All
Rebuttals are cited less, don’t change citation patterns for original papers, and generally fall flat. And you thought science was self-correcting?
Patterns In and Across Aggregated Data — Is "Anonymous" Collaborative Filtering Really Safe?
New research demonstrates that there’s a decent likelihood that your data exhaust can be used to find out sensitive things about you.
Will a Renewed Re-examination of the Big Deal Itself Be a Big Deal?
As budgets make librarians look for better deals, the Big Deals fall under close scrutiny.
Watching the Information World's Metaphors — Are You About Streams Yet?
How we think often leads to what we think. Are you publishing using the metaphors users are adopting?
PLoS ONE's 2010 Impact Factor
Does the success of the scalable, multidisciplinary open access mega journal signal the imminent demise of the specialized, highly-selective subscription journal?