A Sincere Thank You to Adam, Jamie, and Morgan
Two popular science shows take a different approach to science education and inspiration, but both are effective, and more than welcomed.
Tea Party-led Super PAC Coalition Seeks to Limit US Research to US Taxpayers
A surprising new coalition of Tea Party and US-first activists begin an effort to limit US taxpayer-funded research to US taxpayers. Will it succeed?
Why Is Science Both More Important and Less Trusted?
Science has always been politicized, but its political involvement and use is different these days. What is happening? And what can we do about it?
The Article — Not Quite Dead Yet
UKSG Coverage – The Future of Scholarly Journals: slow evolution, rapid transformation – or redundancy? @CameronNeylon and @Michael_Mabe debate at #UKSGlive
The Problems With Calling Comments "Post-Publication Peer-Review"
There’s much more to making “post-publication peer-review” work, much less a valid form of peer-review. Rebranding comments and letters isn’t sufficient. Maybe it’s time to recognize over-reach.
The Portal Problem, Part 1: The Plight of the Britannica
Did the Encyclopedia Britannica stop printing because of the limitations of print? Or is there something more pernicious at the roots of Britannica’s problems?
Publishing in a Weak Peer-Review Culture — Russian Academics and Paid Publication Practices
A survey of Russian researchers shows a burgeoning paid publications environment in a weak peer-review culture, with a level of cynicism about the process which makes publication less valuable. Are there lessons to be learned?
PDA and Inter-library Loan
Patron-driven acquisitions programs may supplant inter-library loans for ebooks, which in turn could get more publishers to support both PDA and ILL.
Birds of a Feather Blog Together
In the world of science blogging, there are those who cite the literature, those who don’t, and never the twain shall meet.
Fleshing Out the World Dreamed Of — What If the Idealistic Recommendations Passed?
A new report for the Center of Economic Development suffers from a strong bias in its authorship. But beyond that, its implicit complaints, if addressed completely, would lead to a trainwreck in the world of scholarly communication. Is nobody thinking these things through?
"Predatory" Open Access Publishers — The Natural Extreme of an Author-Pays Model
A profile of predatory author-pays OA publishers pulls a punch or two, but reveals that all models have extremes. What we do to make these extremes truly marginal and unacceptable is a larger question.
Can Article Retractions Correct the Scientific Record?
A new study of article retractions concludes that the system is fast, democratic and significantly depresses future citations. Shouldn’t we demand more?
More Heat Than Light — The RWA Miscalculation May Have Burned More Than Elsevier
The firestorm around the Research Works Act forces Elsevier to back away. Where does that leave the rest of us?
The Missing Outcry — Are the NIH and Its Researchers Shirking Their Obligations?
While publishers are the targets of complaints about keeping taxpayer-funded research from reaching the public, where is the outcry when studies show less than 1/4 mandatory reporting requirements are fulfilled by researchers?
Most NIH-Sponsored Trials Slow to Publish, Many Aren't Published, Most Fail to Report Data, Studies Show
Fewer than half of NIH sponsored clinical trials are published within 30 months, and 4 out of 5 FDA trials fail to publicly register results (as mandated by law), studies published in the BMJ report. Authors and sponsors may be the strongest source of reporting bias.