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Academy-owned? Academic-led? Community-led? What's at Stake in the Words We Use to Describe New Publishing Paradigms

Academy-owned? Academic-led? Community-led? What's at Stake in the Words We Use to Describe New Publishing Paradigms

There is no question that we are facing significant challenges and opportunities as the traditional publishing model begins to falter. How the academy positions itself at this moment will have consequences for years to come.

Plan S Falls Short for Society Publishers - and for the Researchers They Serve

Plan S Falls Short for Society Publishers - and for the Researchers They Serve

The proposal known as Plan S has the admirable aim of achieving full OA across a wide swath of journal publications. But the path currently suggested has serious drawbacks that could jeopardize nonprofit science societies.

European Parliament Petition on Elsevier and the Open Science Monitor - Green Tea and Velociraptors

European Parliament Petition on Elsevier and the Open Science Monitor - Green Tea and Velociraptors

Elsevier's role in the EU's Open Science Monitor is examined more closely.

Bart De Strooper: 'Bright Young Scientists Won't Come to Join Us in UK'

Bart De Strooper: 'Bright Young Scientists Won't Come to Join Us in UK'

The Belgian biologist fears for the future of the pioneering UK Dementia Research Institute after Brexit

Who Are You Writing For? The Role of Community Membership on Authors' Decisions to Publish in Open Access Mega-Journals

Who Are You Writing For? The Role of Community Membership on Authors' Decisions to Publish in Open Access Mega-Journals

Open Access mega-journals have in some academic disciplines become a key channel for communicating research. In others, however, they remain unknown. This article explores how authors’ perceptions of mega-journals differ across disciplines and are shaped by motivations associated with the multiple communities they function within.

Change Ahead: How Do Smaller Publishers Perceive Open Access?

Change Ahead: How Do Smaller Publishers Perceive Open Access?

Reporting results from a comprehensive survey of publishers in the German-speaking world, Christian Kaier and Karin Lackner explore the attitudes of smaller publishers towards open access, finding …

The Blind Spot of Science is the Neglect of Lived Experience - Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser & Evan Thompson | Aeon Essays

The Blind Spot of Science is the Neglect of Lived Experience - Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser & Evan Thompson | Aeon Essays

It’s tempting to think science gives a God’s-eye view of reality. But we forget the place of human experience at our peril.

Will the World Embrace Plan S, the Radical Proposal to Mandate Open Access to Science Papers?

Will the World Embrace Plan S, the Radical Proposal to Mandate Open Access to Science Papers?

China appears to embrace Europe-led plan, but other countries are reluctant.

Increasing Your Research's Exposure on Figshare Using the FAIR Data Principles

Increasing Your Research's Exposure on Figshare Using the FAIR Data Principles

The FAIR principles were published in 2016 in a Scientific Data article titled 'FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship'. These were developed to aid in the discovery and reuse of research data.FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Data that meet these principles are more optimal for reuse and discoverability and in turn increase your research's exposure.Here's how your data is more FAIR when it's on Figshare.Illustration by Jason McDermott of RedPenBlackPen.

Vaccine Candidates for Poor Nations Are Going to Waste

Vaccine Candidates for Poor Nations Are Going to Waste

Promising immunizations for diseases that affect mostly people in low- and middle-income countries need help getting to market.

When Open Access to Research Becomes Personal

When Open Access to Research Becomes Personal

I’m not the first to come up with a personal story about the importance of open access and I’m not going to tell my story right now. I want to tell two other stories from the past couple of weeks that have reinforced for me why I do what I do every day in advocating for full and immediate open access to research.

The Nobel Prize for Climate Catastrophe

The Nobel Prize for Climate Catastrophe

The economist William Nordhaus will receive his profession's highest honor for research on global warming that's been hugely influential - and entirely misguided.

Postdocs Trying to Transition to Non-academic Careers Should Be Offered More Support by Their Supervisors and Universities

Postdocs Trying to Transition to Non-academic Careers Should Be Offered More Support by Their Supervisors and Universities

Despite the position being billed as a stepping stone on the way to tenure-track academic employment, many postdocs, discouraged by their poor prospects, are questioning their career choices and instead looking to non-academic jobs as an alternative. However, as Chris Hayter and Marla A. Parker reveal, making this transition is not as easy as it might first appear.