The publishing industry seems to be focused on improving a system that already works well, the system of topical information flows. Perhaps it should be looking at the system of method information flows.
In my last posting, I posed four questions brought to my mind by the Aaron Swartz case. Here, I propose what I think are reasonable answers to those questions. The result is kind of a long post, but hey, it’s the weekend. Tell your spouse that the yard work will have to wait; you’re busy helping to solve the fundamental structural problems of the scholarly information marketplace.
Welcome to a new feature of the Scholarly Kitchen we’re calling “Ask the Chefs.” The premise is that each month, the Chefs (contributors) to the Scholarly Kitchen will answer a provocative question in a pithy paragraph or two. Each Chef answers the question without benefit of seeing the others’ responses. This month’s question: “What Do You Think Is the Most Important Trend in Publishing Today?”
Allowing authors access to anti-plagiarism software makes pragmatic sense when you consider the demands scientific journals place on authors for perfect English, the pressures of group authorship, and the incrementalism of most papers. Perhaps it could even do more.
Taxpayer access to US federally funded research results need not involve publishers giving away their product. An alternative mechanism is available, one that is already partially implemented. It is called the research report. Demands for free access to taxpayer funded […]
A pleasant way to celebrate Friday.
There are many new companies seeking to disrupt the college textbook model. Here is a taxonomy of the strategies, with some comments on the likelihood of their being adopted.
Simplifying the complex isn’t a simple task. A new book by a practiced hand and statistician proves entertaining and enlightening.
A compelling essay points out some interesting wrinkles to the access debate.
Hitting the wallet, watch, and workload makes more sense, but Science Exchange still has some details to iron out.
The world is changing. Is academic culture an artificial and unhelpful cap on inevitable and productive innovation in communication potentialities? Or is there a failure of leadership?
Dissemination may be necessary but not sufficient as an element of an information mission in today’s world.
What happens to your online persona after you die? A surprising number of people are thinking about this.
A bizarre evolutionary scenario gave us the most powerful tool nature has ever created.
Being an early adopter of an Espresso Book Machine has its price and rewards.