New Journal Ranking Scheme
PLoS ONE has published an article (Effectiveness of journal ranking schemes as a tool for locating information by Michael J. Stringer, Marta Sales-Pardo, and Luís A. Nunes Amaral) that discusses a novel method to identify high impact research:
Here, we systematically evaluate the effectiveness of journals, through the work of editors and reviewers, at evaluating unpublished research. We find that the distribution of the number of citations to a paper published in a given journal in a specific year converges to a steady state after a journal-specific transient time, and demonstrate that in the steady state the logarithm of the number of citations has a journal-specific typical value. We then develop a model for the asymptotic number of citations accrued by papers published in a journal that closely matches the data.
Our model enables us to quantify both the typical impact and the range of impacts of papers published in a journal. Finally, we propose a journal-ranking scheme that maximizes the efficiency of locating high impact research.
There are other new journal-ranking metrics proposed to be alternatives to the impact factor: Eigenfactor, H-Index, and the SCImago Journal & Country Rank.
Lectures on Intellectual Property and Access
Here are the links to two videos of interest:
Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Stanford Law School, gave his last lecture on "Free Culture" at Stanford University on Jan. 31, 2008. In the lecture, he discussed the relationship between intellectual property and creativity in society.
Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Ontario gave a lecture on unlocking access at the University of Melbourne, Australia on Feb. 5, 2008. His presentation focused on "why adopting open access models can help counter restrictive contractual terms and copyright laws."
Interview of Harvard University Librarian, Robert Darnton
The Library Journal Academic Newswire has published an interview of the Harvard University Librarian, Dr. Robert Darnton, who contributed to the recent passage of the open access mandate for Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. From Part 1 of the interview:
Practically speaking, how much of a challenge is it for the library to fulfill its traditional mission and at the same to establish and maintain digital initiatives?
It’s difficult, and it can be downright painful. The pressures, especially on a great research library, like Harvard University’s with huge responsibilities and huge ambition takes different forms. Certainly one form is an increased need for acquiring all kinds of electronic datasets, and digital materials. …
Current circumstances make it difficult to buy monographs while at same time taking the lead in accumulating electronic resources. How do we do all this? It’s not easy. But libraries today are developing all kinds of new functions that are part of a new landscape of knowledge. Many people see libraries as dignified repositories of old-fashioned knowledge, the kind packaged in books, but libraries are also now at the forefront in developing new modes of scholarly communication.
From Part 2 of the interview:
LJAN: Some publishers, especially small publishers and scientific societies, argue that open access (OA) will harm their journals. Do you buy that argument?
RD: No. I really don’t. There are many, many kinds of journals, and I imagine a near future where there will be coexistence between journals and open access repositories. You take a subject like physics, there are a number of extremely wonderful, successful, expensive journals, and not one is opposed to open access repositories. They don’t feel threatened that repositories are going to replace them. They aren’t, because these journals package information in a convenient and useful way.
Open Access in Arts and Humanities
Issue 54 of Ariadne publishes an article (E-Publication and open access in the Arts and Humanities in the UK by Malcolm Heath, Michael Jubb, and David Robey) that discusses the implications of electronic publishing and open access in Arts and Humanities in the U.K.:
This article reviews some of the discussions that have taken place, and the evidence that has been gathered, about e-publishing and open access and their impact and implications for researchers in the arts and humanities in the UK. Researchers in these disciplines do not, of course, constitute a homogeneous whole, and they vary as to how they conduct their research and publish their findings. Across a broad front, however, there are some significant differences between their interests and needs and those of their colleagues in the sciences.
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… A risk is that discussions of e-publishing and open access are dominated by the sciences. Given the much greater volume and financial weight of scientific research, this is inevitable. But it is important that the distinctive needs of the arts and humanities are not simply overlooked. Advocates of Open Access should be more aware of, and receptive to, the perspectives of the arts and humanities disciplines, and extend their advocacy to the arts and humanities community. For this to be possible, that community itself needs to develop a broader and better-informed internal dialogue about its e-publication needs, and the access issues associated with them.
Create Change is a good online resource for faculty and researchers to better understand how they can benefit from and contribute to open access. As the site says: "A scholarly revolution is underway. It enables you to get a greater return from your research. All you have to do is share it." The Cases in Point section highlights how "changes in how scholarship is conducted and communicated are playing out in different ways in different fields."
P.S.: Create Change Canada has been developed by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries and the Association of Research Libraries as "an educational initiative that examines new opportunities in scholarly communication, advocates changes that recognize the potential of the networked digital environment, and encourages active participation by scholars and researchers to guide the course of change."
Open Access Journal Showcases Faculty-Library Partnership
Museum Anthropology Review is an open access journal from Indiana University Bloomington that illustrates how faculty work with their library to disseminate scholarly information via the Internet. From the press release:
Edited by Jason Baird Jackson, associate professor in IU’s Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Museum Anthropology Review showcases a new model for Bloomington faculty to disseminate their scholarly work.
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Jackson said that making scholarly work more easily and affordably accessible is especially important in fields like folklore and anthropology that are rooted in the study of local cultures worldwide.
"If, for instance, a scholar spends months documenting the work of an elderly woodcarver living in a small American town and then writes about what she learned in a peer-reviewed research article, I have an obligation as her editor to make it as easy as possible for the schoolchildren of that town — or the artist’s grandchildren — to gain access to her writing. Open access repositories and journals, in their varied forms, help make this possible."
This journal exemplifies how a partnership between different campus units can expedite the dissemination of scholarly information. Let’s hope this kind of collaborative partnership will emerge in other institutions.
Challenges and Opportunities of Open Access Publishing
The Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories held a workshop on open access publishing on Feb. 14, 2008. The presentations are now available online. Some of them are:
- Open Data in Science by Professor Peter Murray-Rust, University of Cambridge
- The Open Access Repository–A Researcher’s Tool by Professor Ray Frost, Queensland University of Technology
- Some Experience with Digital Publishing, Open Access Repository, Research Impact and Quality by Professor Hubert Chanson, University of Queensland
Thanks to Charles Bailey for pointing out these presentations.
Intellectual Property Symposium 2008
The Center for Intellectual Property at the University of Maryland University College will host the Annual Intellectual Property Symposium on May 28–30, 2008:
Although the default rules in U.S. copyright law encourage exclusive ownership and create a limited monopoly, today’s technological and cultural landscape encourages sharing and collaboration. The result is a high-stakes conflict between copyright law and culture. Where do higher education interests reside? We will discuss these issues in the context of:
The Development of User Generated Content
Mass Digitization Projects
The Transformation of "Authorship"
Use of Wikis, Blogs and other Technologies in the Development of Scholarship
Click here for details about the symposium and registration.
NIH Public Access Policy: Guide and Webcast
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has made available online NIH Public Access Policy: Guide for Research Universities:
The new NIH policy is an important step forward for science, scientists, and the higher education community. A wide range of academic and public stakeholders have vigorously supported adoption of such a measure. Here are some of the benefits:
PubMed Central deposit is a convenient substitute for the submission of print copies of articles in fulfillment of grants reporting requirements.
Research in PubMed Central is available to virtually all Internet users, regardless of whether their library subscribes to the journal in which the research is published. This will greatly expand access to the estimated 80,000 articles that result each year from NIH funding for use in research, teaching, and patient care.
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ARL will host a Webcast on institutional compliance with the NIH public access policy:
This webcast will explore the legal aspects of author rights management within the context of the new Public Access Policy adopted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Effective April 7, 2008, the new policy requires investigators to deposit their articles stemming from NIH funding in PubMed Central. Institutions confront a key set of issues raised by the need to ensure that authors maintain the legal rights required to allow compliance with the new policy.
The Webcast will take place at 1-2 pm EST on Friday, March 7th. It is a free event, but advance registration by March 3rd is required.
Copyright Debate
The New York Times held a Bits (Business - Innovation - Technology - Society) Debate on copyright and fair use last month. The debaters were Rick Cotton, the general Counsel of NBC Universal, and Tim Wu, a Columbia law professor. The debate has generated many comments.
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL), with assistance from university counsels and copyright specialists, has created the Know Your Copy Rights brochure to help faculty and teaching assistants better understand issues surrounding the use of copyrighted materials for academic purpose. The brochure addresses topics such as fair use, "the advantages of linking to instead of copying works, and special provisions for displaying or performing works in classes."
There is also a detailed frequently-asked-questions document for reference. It was developed by attorney Peggy Hoon.
Open Access to Improve Health Care
The Committee for Economic Development has issued a report, Harnessing Openness to Transform American Health Care, that discusses how openness in information sharing can improve health care. From the executive summary:
… Bringing greater openness to different parts of the healthcare production chain can lead to substantial benefits by stimulating innovation, lowering costs, reducing errors, and closing the gap between discovery and treatment delivery.
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Greater openness is what allows us to improve the evaluation of interventions in clinical trials through patient-outcomes reporting. When game hunters in Cameroon provide samples to public health researchers on the lookout for disease outbreaks we are witnessing greater openness. Openness is ultimately about an attitude that sees the opportunity for many to benefit from greater access to information, as well as to contribute much to the benefit of us all.
Greater openness is likely to become increasingly important in more and more areas driven by the relentless progress of information and communications technology. We offer these recommendations with the hope that modest changes based on greater access to information by more people, and more possibilities for them to contribute based on their own expertise and energy, can help improve healthcare in the United States and around the world.
