Can F1000 Recommendations Predict Future Citations?
Expert ratings have poorer predictive power than journal citation metrics, study reveals.
Open Access — Idealism and Realism Remain Difficult to Reconcile, Survey Says
A survey of multiple scientific and academic domains about open access publishing provides an interesting snapshot, but fails to provide much actionable data as it conflates too many areas into one.
Book Review — "Academic and Professional Publishing"
A new book for scholarly publishers updates a classic, and shows just how diverse, interesting, and promising scholarly publishing has become.
SXSW Interactive — Where the Geeks (and Geek Watchers) Go
SXSW 2013 is heavy on hardware, invention, lessons about taking risks and exploring, usability, and discussions about how best to achieve authority and credibility.
Stick to Your Ribs: Skeuomorphic Publishing — How to Fit a Square Peg Into a Round Hole
Digital publishing continues to borrow its shape from its predecessors in print. Truly creative individuals are necessary to work with new media on their own terms.
Whoops! Are Some Current Open Access Mandates Backfiring on the Intended Beneficiaries?
OA mandates like the RCUK mandate seem to have aspects that actually put the burdens of OA on the academics, universities, taxpayers, and scientists they were meant to help.
The 1% Infographic Animation — An Exercise in the Slow Shock of Reality
A new infographic presentation shows just how effectively a story can be told around data. It also reveals how divergent perceptions, ideals, and reality can be.
Glass Houses and Straw Men — An Attempt to Assess the Quality of Statistical Analyses Fails Its Own Test
Do higher impact journals do a better job with their statistics? A study with a sexy title proves to be poorly designed and poorly reported.
The RCUK Open Access Policy Is Revised — Complexity, Confusion, and Conflicting Messages Abound
After a great deal of public and political resistance, the RCUK revises its OA policy. Unfortunately, the revisions only highlight the same problems, sow more confusion, and reveal how central the issue of academic freedom is to this approach.
Financial Realities — A New Analysis Suggests OA Will Have a Benign Effect on Publishers
A new financial analysis of open access and two major publishers suggests that many of the trends we’re seeing aren’t about adversarial ideas and win:lose propositions, but about relatively small market adjustments and incremental changes.
Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001 — Complete with the Information Console
What an idea! Information consoles in the home of the future. They only missed the existence of wi-fi and cellular, and how those made everything portable.
Ignorance As Argument — A Chemist Alleges Publishers Exploit Typography for Money
A chemist complains about publishers exploiting authors through typesetting controls, but fails to understand exactly what it is and why it’s important.
Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is — Is Gold OA Just a New Frontier for Nature?
Nature (the journal) announces unwavering support for Gold OA on the same day Nature (the company) announces a major Gold OA partnership. But Nature (the journal) doesn’t itself adopt Gold OA. Why not?
Are Scholarly Societies Still Relevant to Young Researchers? Perhaps Surprisingly, Yes They Are
Remaining relevant requires action, and new research suggests it’s not too late for these actions to retain younger members, who remain interested in what professional and learned societies can and do offer.
Taking Issue — A New York Times Editorial Mishandles the OSTP Memorandum
The OSTP memorandum is a reasonable step forward for everyone. However, a NYT editorial provides misleading interpretations of its scope and design.