Open access readership citations a randomized controlled trial…

Posté le par

Open access, readership, citations: a randomized controlled trial of scientific journal publishing :

“Does free access to journal articles result in greater diffusion of scientific knowledge? Using a randomized controlled trial of open access publishing, involving 36 participating journals in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, we report on the effects of free access on article downloads and citations. Articles placed in the open access condition (n=712) received significantly more downloads and reached a broader audience within the first year, yet were cited no more frequently, nor earlier, than subscription-access control articles (n=2533) within 3 yr. These results may be explained by social stratification, a process that concentrates scientific authors at a small number of elite research universities with excellent access to the scientific literature. The real beneficiaries of open access publishing may not be the research community but communities of practice that consume, but rarely contribute to, the corpus of literature.—Davis, P. M. Open access, readership, citations: a randomized controlled trial of scientific journal publishing.”

URL : http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2011/03/29/fj.11-183988.abstract

La bibliométrie un nouveau cap pour une archive…

Posté le par

La bibliométrie : un nouveau cap pour une archive institutionnelle :

“En complément de ses objectifs de diffusion et de conservation, Archimer, l’archive institutionnelle de l’Ifremer, offre un ensemble d’outils bibliométriques. Dès l’enregistrement, de nombreux automatismes homogénéisent les informations (noms d’auteurs, organismes, affiliation interne…), gage de qualité des analyses bibliométriques.

Archimer permet le calcul automatique de plusieurs indicateurs définis entre l’Ifremer et ses Ministères de Tutelles dans le cadre de son contrat quadriennal. Il offre également des éléments d’analyses de sa production documentaire (ex : répartition de la valeur des facteurs d’impacts des revues, évolution du nombre de citations des publications, présentation des collaborations internationales…).

La centralisation de cette production documentaire dans Archimer permettra ainsi l’abandon d’une multitude de systèmes actuellement utilisés par les différentes unités de recherche pour assurer ces fonctions. C’est donc un gain de productivité autant que de fiabilité qui est attendu.”

URL : http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00031/14253/

Knowledge networks and nations Global scientific collaboration in…

Posté le par

Knowledge, networks and nations: Global scientific collaboration in the 21st century :

“Knowledge, Networks and Nations surveys the global scientific landscape in 2011, noting the shift to an increasingly multipolar world underpinned by the rise of new scientific powers such as China, India and Brazil; as well as the emergence of scientific nations in the Middle East, South-East Asia and North Africa. The scientific world is also becoming more interconnected, with international collaboration on the rise. Over a third of all articles published in international journals are internationally collaborative, up from a quarter 15 years ago.

Collaboration is increasing for a variety of reasons. Enabling factors such as advances in communication technology and cheaper travel have played a part, but the primary driver of most collaboration is individual scientists. In seeking to work with the best of their peers and to gain access to complementary resources, equipment and knowledge, researchers fundamentally enhance the quality and improve the efficiency of their work.

Today collaboration has never been more important. With human society facing a number of wide-ranging and interlinked ‘global challenges’ such as climate change, food security, energy security and infectious disease, international scientific collaboration is essential if we are to have any chance of addressing the causes, or dealing with the impacts, of these problems. Through a few selected case studies, we examine the achievements of some of the current efforts to tackle these challenges, discuss problems they have faced, and highlight important lessons their experience has to offer similar initiatives.

Knowledge, Networks and Nations, in cooperation with Elsevier, was led by a high-level Advisory Group of leaders and experts in international science and science policy, chaired by Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS, Director of Energy Research at the University of Oxford and former Director General of CERN, and drew on evidence, analysis and extensive consultation with scientists and policymakers from around the world.

It makes 5 major recommendations:

  • Support for international science should be maintained and strengthened
  • Internationally collaborative science should be encouraged, supported and facilitated
  • National and international strategies for science are required to address global challenges
  • International capacity building is crucial to ensure that the impacts of scientific research are shared globally
  • Better indicators are required in order to properly evaluate global science”

URL : http://royalsociety.org/policy/reports/knowledge-networks-nations/

The value of libraries for research and researchers…

Posté le par

The value of libraries for research and researchers :

“Libraries are changing and the value they provide will change too. This project has provided a snapshot of libraries based on current evidence, as the sector begins a period of turbulent change. The need to demonstrate value will endure should not be underestimated. Arguing the case for libraries may get harder as the traditional role of libraries in providing access to content – the role most frequently mentioned and valued by researchers and senior managers – continues to become less visible.

The findings are summarised in the form of map which sets out the key characteristics and behaviours of libraries, and the links between them and the performance of individual researchers and institutions. Libraries have changed and are changing, developing new roles and services. The detailed findings are presented in the form of ten stories, about the different kinds of value that libraries provide in supporting both individual researchers and the research performance of their host institutions.”

URL : http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/using-and-accessing-information-resources/value-libraries-research-and-researchers

The emergence of electronic books publishing in Spain

Posté le par

“After reference books and scientific journals, electronic books represent the next level of evolution in the digital revolution. Their presence in libraries and their level of knowledge on the part of users is still low. But the development of specific collections by the publishers, the development of increasingly refined online distribution systems and the improvements in portable reading devices (e-book readers) are causing a change in this situation, along with a turnaround on the production and consumption of such documents. In Spain, recent experiences by publishing houses are related to this new market, and they will change the current publishing scene in no time. This article discusses some of them and gives an outlook of future developments in the sector.”

URL : http://eprints.rclis.org/15459/

OERs in Context – Case Study of Innovation…

Posté le par

OERs in Context – Case Study of Innovation and Sustainability of Educational Practices at the University of Mauritius :

“Over the recent years, there has been a growing interest in Open Educational Resources (OER). A similar trend was observed about a decade ago in the concept of Learning Objects, which inevitably faded without really making an impact in real-world educational contexts. A number of repositories were created that contain thousands of learning objects. However, on the consumption side, very little is known in terms of their implementations and impacts on teaching and learning. The same phenomenon is observed with Open Education Educational resources which are by definition learning objects but they are freely available resources available for educators and practitioners to use, reuse, remix and re-contextualise in local contexts. While the use of OER is widespread among educators (similarly to learning objects), however they often happen in discretion, isolation and not really in well-established frameworks (pedagogical, economical and institutional). This paper presents a case study of how OERs have been included in a sustainable and innovative teaching and learning model in three online courses at Diploma, Bachelor and Masters Level. It shows how the inclusion of OERs helped maintain a good quality level, sustain a viable economic model with reduction of tuition fees for learners, increase access and achieve the intended learning outcomes without any negative impact on the learners’ experience.”

URL : http://www.eurodl.org/?p=current&article=419

Back to the future: authors, publishers and ideas in a copy-friendly environment

Posté le par

How could scholars survive in a copy-friendly environment jeopardizing the established system of scholarly publishing in which scientific publishers seemed to be authors’ best friends? A backward itinerary across three German Enlightenment thinkers who took part to the debate on (unauthorized) reprinting shows us ways – usual and unusual – in which culture can flourish in a copy-friendly environment.

While Fichte endorsed an intellectual property theory, took the function of publishers for granted and neglected the interests of the public, Kant saw authors as speakers and justified publishers’ rights only as long as they work as spokespersons helping writers to reach the public. Eventually Lessing’s project was designed to foster authors’ autonomy by means of a subscription system that could have worked only on the basis of a free information flow and of direct relationships with and within the public itself.

Such a condition can be compared with the situation of ancient auctores, with one difference: while the ancient communities of knowledge were educated minorities, because of the limitations of orality and manuscript media system, we have now the opportunity to take Enlightenment seriously.

URL : http://eprints.rclis.org/handle/10760/15445