Lessons from University Presses — Economics, Spin, Misfits, and Mission
The University of Missouri saga has many lessons for publishers of all types. But perhaps the harshest lesson is that we’re in a tough business.
A Proposed List — 60 Things Journal Publishers Do
An attempt to list a bunch of things journal publishers do. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
Please Use Whole Names on Scholarly Articles
While elaborate systems might help us disambiguate authors of scholarly articles, is there a simpler approach?
Will Editing Mix Machines With Humans? Dan Cohen Ponders the Future of Publishing
The SSP Annual Meeting keynote speaker contemplates how new tools and new ways of presenting content might lead to a world of mixed algorithmic and human editing and curation.
Lumpers, Splitters, and Policy Debates in Scholarly Publishing
Lumping concepts and players in scholarly publishing together — or merging them with analogs outside — may be confusing us in our policy debates. Can the splitters do better?
Looking Forward to "The Best of the Scholarly Kitchen: The Second Course!"
The Chefs are closing out this year’s SSP Annual Meeting. We hope to see you there!
Publishers — What Are They Good For?
Time for your input for a session at the upcoming SSP Annual Meeting — pose your questions now!
Crossing the Rubicon — Is the UK Going to Enable Open Access for All Taxpayer-Funded Research by 2014?
The UK Government Science Minister articulates a plan for open access and open data for UK research. The implications aren’t clear, but the intentions are.
IT Arrogance vs. Academic Culture — Why the Outcome Is Virtually Certain
Claims that technological innovations can smash cultures and revolutionize the fundamentals of scientific communication mistake superficial changes for deep changes. Technology alone isn’t enough. In fact, it seems that publishing changes technology.
Reproducibility — An Attempt to Test the Psychology Literature Underscores a Growing Fault Line
The growing perception that science is built on sand demands not only some new incentives, but also an understanding that science is not always easy — or possible — to replicate.
Editorial Rejection — Increasingly Important, Yet Often Overlooked or Dismissed
When we talk about peer-review, we often gloss over the important role of editorial review, which precedes external peer-review — in some cases, eliminating a majority of papers while raising an important type of quality.
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?
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 Price of Parody in an Era of Scorched-Earth Publishing Politics
Why is there such invective around certain topics in scholarly publishing? Perhaps when you ask questions and play with ideas, you’re bound to get some backlash. But how far is too far?
When Journal Editors Coerce Authors to Self-Cite
Editors of business journals strategically coerce authors to increase citation rates, a new study in Science reports.