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International dissemination of evidence-based practice, open access and the IACAPAP textbook of child and adolescent mental health

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Dramatic changes have occurred in both publishing and teaching in the last 20 years stemming from the digital and Internet revolutions. Such changes are likely to grow exponentially in the near future aided by the trend to open access publishing. This revolution has challenged traditional publishing and teaching methods that—largely but not exclusively due to cost—are particularly relevant to professionals in low and middle income countries.

The digital medium and the Internet offer boundless opportunities for teaching and training to people in disadvantaged regions. This article describes the development of the IACAPAP eTextbook of child and adolescent mental health, its use, accessibility, and potential impact on the international dissemination of evidence-based practice.

URL : International dissemination of evidence-based practice, open access and the IACAPAP textbook of child and adolescent mental health

URL : http://www.capmh.com/content/9/1/51

The data sharing advantage in astrophysics

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We present here evidence for the existence of a citation advantage within astrophysics for papers that link to data. Using simple measures based on publication data from NASA Astrophysics Data System we find a citation advantage for papers with links to data receiving on the average significantly more citations per paper than papers without links to data. Furthermore, using INSPEC and Web of Science databases we investigate whether either papers of an experimental or theoretical nature display different citation behavior.

URL : http://arxiv.org/abs/1511.02512

Developing a Sustainable Financial Model in Higher Education for Open Educational Resources

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Financial issues regarding the sustainable production, dissemination, and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education are reviewed and proposed solutions critiqued. Use of OER produce demonstrable cost savings for students. Yet OER development continues to rely almost completely on government and philanthropic funding.

This indicates that a mismatch exists between the financial interests of students and those of higher education institutions. Before OER will be broadly adopted, changes to government policy are required to align institutional objectives with faculty motivations and student needs.

URL : Developing a Sustainable Financial Model in Higher Education for Open Educational Resources

Alternative location : http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2133

Prominent but Less Productive: The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists’ Research

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Inter-disciplinary research (IDR) is being promoted by federal agencies and universities nationwide because it presumably spurs transformative, innovative science. In this paper we bring empirical data to assess whether IDR is indeed beneficial, and whether costs accompany potential benefits. Existing research highlights this tension: whereas the innovation literature suggests that spanning disciplines is beneficial because it allows scientists to see connections across fields, the categories literature suggests that spanning disciplines is penalized, because the resulting research may be lower quality or confusing to place.

To investigate this, we empirically distinguish production and reception effects and we highlight a new production penalty: cognitive and collaborative challenges associated with IDR may result in slower progress, hurdles during peer review, and lower productivity (though not necessarily lower quality).

We compile and analyze data on almost 900 research center-based scientists and their 32,000 published articles. Using an innovative measure of IDR that considers the similarity of the disciplines spanned, we document both penalties (fewer papers published) and benefits (increased visibility) associated with IDR, and show that it is a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. These costs and benefits depend on characteristics of the field and a scientist’s place in it.

URL : http://arxiv.org/abs/1510.06802

Beyond Open Access to Open Publication and Open Scholarship

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This article explores a moment of opportunity to imagine a new humanities scholarship based on radical openness, beyond the level of access to scholarly content that the open access movement has so far championed, to a culture of transformation that can actively include the public(s) beyond the community of scholars. The possibilities for enhancing scholarly and research practices are intriguing, but even greater may be the generative opportunity to engage audiences beyond the scholarly community – particularly online, where the humanities connects to broader cultural currents.

URL : Beyond Open Access to Open Publication and Open Scholarship

Alternative location : http://src-online.ca/index.php/src/article/view/202

Wikipedia and the ecosystem of knowledge

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Thanks to a vibrant community united by a few core principles, plus detailed policies and safeguards against trolls and vandalism, Wikipedia has already become a piece of the knowledge ecosystem. Like science, its aim is to propose a synthesis of existing knowledge and conflicting interpretations of reality. It also changes the way people interact with knowledge thanks to its extensive use of hyperlinks, portals, and categories.

As a consequence, I suggest academics contribute to articles in their field. They could also use Wikipedia as a course assignment and make sure that the topics related to their discipline are fairly presented in this encyclopedia.

URL : Wikipedia and the ecosystem of knowledge

Alternative location : http://src-online.ca/index.php/src/article/view/201

Implementing Institutional Repository in Nigerian Universities : Status, Challenges, Prospects, and the Role of Librarians & Libraries

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This is a report of the study carried out in late 2013. In this paper, the authors identify the extent of adoption of Institutional Repository (IR) in various universities through an online survey. Concepts of institutional repository (IR) and institutional memory (IM) are clarified. It lays down the findings from the survey.

The paper also explains the essential elements of IR, Service Model of IR, prospects and challenges of IR in Nigerian universities, IR implementation strategies; including the role of the libraries and librarians.

Findings reveal that as at the time of study world IR presence numbers 3479. Nigeria has only nine (9) Universities representing just 0.23% of the world IR. But some African countries’ universities have more. South Africa alone had 40, which amounts to 1.15% of the world Institutional Repositories as at then. The paper concludes with recommendations on the ways Nigerian universities could overcome the barrier in IR implementation.

URL : http://www.jatlim.org/Volumes/Vol.1%20No.1/Jonathan.pdf