Putting Society Publishing in Context
Society publishing is surrounded by rivalrous groups, which tend to undermine the societies’ activities. It’s time to renew the development of membership through exclusive products.
Welcome Our Newest Chef, Alice Meadows
I’m pleased to welcome our newest Chef, Alice Meadows of Wiley. Alice heads up Wiley’s society relations team, supporting more than 800 scholarly and STM organizations for which Wiley publishes. She has a marketing background, and founded a small business […]
Citation Cartel Journals Denied 2011 Impact Factor
Fifty-one journals are suspended from the Journal Citation Report for “anomalous citation patterns.” Whether or not you agree with the impact factor, sanctions help maintain the integrity of the scientific publishing enterprise for everyone.
Presentations on PDA from the AAUP Conference, 2012
PDA as presented to the AAUP. Slides from Joe Esposito and Rick Anderson. Enjoy!
Ask the Chefs: "What Is the Most Important Advance Publishers Have Made in the Past Decade?"
How have publishers changed over the past decade? What have been the most important advances? The Chefs tackle the question, with some surprising answers (they might have even surprised themselves).
The Outside Context Effect and Book Publishing Dominance
Is the Internet simply an irresistible “outside context” event for traditional book publishers? Two interesting articles make it clear that it may be, if wielded aggressively. The “outside context problem” was described in Iain M. Bank’s book “Excession,” in which […]
The ALPSP Report on Six-Month Embargo Mandates — STM Journals Die Slowly, Social Science Journals Die Quickly
The ALPSP study of the possible effects of a six-month embargo for journal content shows that humanities and social science journals are more at-risk, but the entire industry could find the precipice if such mandates were to take shape.
We're All Publishers Now? Not So Fast
An exchange at the recent SSP Annual Meeting put the concept of “everyone’s a publisher” into stark contrast with reality. We’re not publishers. We’re unpaid writers for publishers like Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress.
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?
The Big Deal, the Medium Deal, and the Tiny Deal
The Big Deal has emerged because it had to. Where do we go from here? The answer isn’t clear.
Intellectual Access — It Takes More Than Accessibility
Another petition is brewing, but perhaps we should aim higher than accessibility and upwards to true intellectual access. To do this, it takes a lot of work, care, and thought. It is not a simple matter at all.
Publishers — What Are They Good For?
Time for your input for a session at the upcoming SSP Annual Meeting — pose your questions now!
Ask the Chefs: "Are We a Service Industry Or a Product Industry?"
We often talk about products and services, but which is our primary value base?
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.
Can He Fix it? CrossRef Launches 'Toon to Inspire Young Publishers
Will a new cartoon designed to lure children into digital publishing work? Yes, it can.