Open scholarship and bibliodiversity

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Authors : Maureen P. Walsh, Nataliia Kaliuzhna, Nokuthula Mchunu, Mohamad Mostafa, Katherine Witzig, Tony Alves

This paper is based on the Open Scholarship and Bibliodiversity panel presented at the 2024 NISO Plus conference in Baltimore, Maryland on February 13, 2024, and brings together five perspectives on the interdependency of open scholarship and bibliodiversity. Bibliodiversity in the context of open scholarship refers to the diversity of publishing models, platforms, and formats that are available for scholarly communication.

It emphasizes the importance of a varied and inclusive ecosystem for acquiring academic knowledge and for the dissemination of research. An important part of bibliodiversity is the inclusion and the promotion of a diversity of scholarly voices.

The authors explore how to ensure that a scholarly infrastructure includes a multitude of voices, is accessible to everyone, and can be expressed in a variety of ways.

URL : Open scholarship and bibliodiversity

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1177/18758789241296760

Repository (R)evolution: Metadata, Interoperability, and Sustainability

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Authors : Linda Eells, Julia Kelly, Shannon Farrell

Introduction

Successfully managing an open-access repository requires constant attention to user community priorities in order to inform the development or selection of a platform that fulfills constantly evolving functional demands in an increasingly complex operational environment.

This paper uses AgEcon Search (AES) as an example of the way that varying platforms address the metadata and other platform needs of a repository. AES is a successful subject repository with an international scope that has resided on several different platforms in its 25-year lifespan.

Elements and Considerations

Critical among the technical requirements of a repository is interoperability with other information sources and the ability to accommodate and describe different types of objects, including data. Experienced in the use of easy and widely used Dublin Core (DC), as well as Machine-Readable Cataloging 21 (MARC 21)-based repository platforms, we discuss both metadata schemas from administrative and user perspectives.

Reconsidering underlying metadata issues might positively impact both technical and administrative issues that are currently restricting the development of robust, interoperable systems. As managers of AES, we are uniquely placed to discuss both technical and sustainability issues.

Conclusions

Although many institutional and subject repositories are on platforms that use DC for their metadata, other options are available. MARC, the well-established library standard, can provide the wide range of fields needed to fully and accurately describe the variety of document and data types that are included in repositories.

URL : Repository (R)evolution: Metadata, Interoperability, and Sustainability

DOI : https://doi.org/10.31274/ jlsc.16890 

Open Research Data in Spanish University Repositories

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Authors : Pablo Monteagudo-Haro, Juan Jose Prieto-Gutierrez

The current situation of open research data in Spanish university repositories is analyzed by means of twelve indicators that allow us to compare them with each other. The twelve self-developed indicators deal with research datasets and institutional policies linked to open access, as well as some of the key characteristics of the repositories.

The methodology used consists of comparing the repositories of the different universities linked to REBIUN. The result has been that datasets in institutional repositories are scarce, and the situation is heterogeneous across the territory. This raises questions about future open access policies for research data in the country’s main scientific institutions.

Arxiv : https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.10470

Fundamental problems in the peer-review process and stakeholders’ perceptions of potential suggestions for improvement

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Authors : Cigdem Kadaifci, Erkan Isikli, Y. Ilker Topcu

Academic papers are essential for researchers to communicate their work to their peers and industry experts. Quality research is published in prestigious scientific journals, and is considered as part of the hiring and promotion criteria at leading universities. Scientific journals conduct impartial and anonymous peer reviews of submitted manuscripts; however, individuals involved in this process may encounter issues related to the duration, impartiality, and transparency of these reviews.

To explore these concerns, we created a questionnaire based on a comprehensive review of related literature and expert opinions, which was distributed to all stakeholders (authors, reviewers, and editors) who participated in the peer-review process from a variety of countries and disciplines. Their opinions on the primary issues during the process and suggestions for improvement were collected. The data were then analysed based on various groups, such as gender, country of residence, and contribution type, using appropriate multivariate statistical techniques to determine the perceptions and experiences of participants in the peer-review process.

The results showed that unethical behaviour was not uncommon and that editors and experienced reviewers encountered it more frequently. Women and academics from Türkiye were more likely to experience ethical violations and perceived them as more ethically severe. Incentives and stakeholder involvement were seen as ways to enhance the quality and impartiality of peer review. The scale developed can serve as a useful tool for addressing difficulties in the peer-review process and improving its effectiveness and performance.

URL : Fundamental problems in the peer-review process and stakeholders’ perceptions of potential suggestions for improvement

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1637

Adoption and use of author identifier services: A French national survey

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Authors : Christophe Boudry, Aline Bouchard

This paper studies awareness and use of author identifier services (AIDs) in the French academic community and explores needs and forms of support required for these tools, using a national questionnaire survey. ArXivID, IdHAL, ORCID, ResearcherID and Scopus Author ID were investigated. A total of 6125 people completed the questionnaire in full. The results of this survey show that discipline and age play an important role in French researchers’ familiarity with AIDs.

IdHAL and ORCID were by far the two best known AIDs, probably because they have been promoted by institutions in France for several years. French researchers use AIDs mainly to respond to external requests (e.g., to submit an article or a research project), while, surprisingly, few use them to ‘facilitate their work’.

When French researchers were asked about their needs and the form of support required for AIDs, more than 30% of them said they either required an introduction to or practical training in these tools. The results of this national survey should help stakeholders to adapt their policies and to guide and support researchers more efficiently in the use of these tools.

URL : Adoption and use of author identifier services: A French national survey

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1640

Two scholarly publishing cultures? Open access drives a divergence in European academic publishing practices

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Authors : Leon Kopitar, Nejc Plohl, Mojca Tancer Verboten, Gregor Štiglic, Roger Watson, Dean Korošak

The current system of scholarly publishing is often criticized for being slow, expensive, and not transparent. The rise of open access publishing as part of open science tenets, promoting transparency and collaboration, together with calls for research assesment reforms are the results of these criticisms. The emergence of new open access publishers presents a unique opportunity to empirically test how universities and countries respond to shifts in the academic publishing landscape. These new actors challenge traditional publishing models, offering faster review times and broader accessibility, which could influence strategic publishing decisions.

Our findings reveal a clear division in European publishing practices, with countries clustering into two groups distinguished by the ratio of publications in new open access journals with accelerated review times versus legacy journals. This divide underscores a broader shift in academic culture, highlighting new open access publishing venues as a strategic factor influencing national and institutional publishing practices, with significant implications for research accessibility and collaboration across Europe.

Arxiv : https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.06282

Diamond open access and open infrastructures have shaped the Canadian scholarly journal landscape since the start of the digital era

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Authors : Simon van Bellen, Lucía Céspedes

Scholarly publishing involves multiple stakeholders having various types of interest. In Canada, the implication of universities, the presence of societies and the availability of governmental support for periodicals seem to have contributed to a rather diverse ecosystem of journals. This study presents in detail the current state of these journals, in addition to past trends and transformations during the 20th century and, in particular, the digital era.

To this effect, we created a new dataset, including a total of 1256 journals, 944 of which appeared to be active today, specifically focusing on the supporting organizations behind the journals, the types of (open) access, disciplines, geographic origins, languages of publication and hosting platforms and tools. The main overarching traits across Canadian scholarly journals are an important presence of Diamond open access, which has been adopted by 62% of the journals, a predominance of the Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines and a scarce presence of the major commercial publishers.

The digital era allowed for the development of open infrastructures, which contributed to the creation of a new generation of journals that massively adopted Diamond open access, often supported by university libraries. However, journal cessation also increased, especially among the recently founded journals. These results provide valuable insights for the design of tailored practices and policies that cater to the needs of different types of periodicals and that take into account the evolving practices across the Canadian scholarly journal landscape.

Arxiv : https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.05942