It's FASTR — Is It Bettr?
Another bill designed to make taxpayer-funded research available raises old questions and familiar divides. Does it have a chance of generating a productive decision?
Licensing Controversy — Balancing Author Rights with Societal Good
The CC-BY license is assumed to be an open access standard, but the situation is complex — for funders, authors, universities, and publishers of all types. Perhaps a less dogmatic approach would serve all parties better.
SSP Launches Sharp, Redesigned Web Site
The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) launches its new Web site — a sharp, usable, and useful update that makes it easier to take advantage of SSP resources.
What Consumer Media Can Teach Us About Professional Publishing
Consumer media sets expectations for how professional media will develop. The new production of “House of Cards” is an example of this.
The Earth at Night — And a Mysterious Patch of Light Appears Suddenly in North Dakota
A new composite of nighttime satellite images reveals the Earth at night — and a remarkable boom town in North Dakota.
The New Face of the Professional Society
The professional society is becoming unmoored from its publication benefits. Will publication benefits in an open access environment become a centerpiece of a new breed of membership organizations?
The Shadow of the MOOC Grows Longer
Will massive open online courses (MOOCs) disrupt higher education? With recent announcements, the potential seems to be growing.
Mendeley, Connotea, and the Perils of Free Services
Free services and open access are distorting the publishing world. Will the big only get bigger?
Major Shifts in Social Sharing Sites — Do Consolidation and Termination Mark the End of an Era?
The herd of social sharing sites in the sciences is being culled. And one — Mendeley — may be assimilated by Elsevier.
Ask the Chefs: What Are STM Publishers Doing Right?
In the follow-up to “What Are STM Publishers Doing Wrong?” we explore what STM publishers are doing right. It’s an impressive list.
Ask the Chefs: What Are STM Publishers Doing Wrong?
The first of a two-part series, today we review a long and complicated list of things STM publishers are doing wrong. Tomorrow, we’ll explore the opposite question — what are STM publishers doing right?
The Guardian Reveals an Important Truth About Article Comments
Recent data from the Guardian suggests that commenting remains a fringe activity, often dominated by a few voices. What might this mean for initiatives based on altmetrics and post-publication review?
Risky Connections — How Ubiquitous Computing and Connectivity Are Creating New and Hidden Dangers
Recent research into the risks of connected computing raise serious concerns — about personal safety, privacy, cyberwar, and cyberterror. We are at the early days of the Internet as part of the human condition.
Gun Violence and the Politics of Research Funding — Suppressed Research and Tragic Outcomes
The shootings in Connecticut last year can be, to some extent, blamed on research funding cuts and political intrusions into public health research.
Video Rewind: Printing's Alive, a Celebration
Is print dead, or just demoted? This video shows that it, and its advocates, won’t go down without a fight.