Today, performing science has become a series of very well defined tasks divided between team members. Going one step further, some teams, bring support to help communicate the findings of the research via academic paper writing services. Here, we explore what brings researchers to avail of such services. One thing is sure, however, writing remains an inherent part of doing science. Read more […]
In this exclusive interview with EuroScientist, Kamila Markram explains how Frontiers, the open access academic publisher she co-founded is designed to remedy some of the shortcomings of the current academic publishing process. She talks about reinventing peer review by making it possible to exchange views, introducing altmetrics and making science attractive to young minds. She also introduces Loop, a social media network for scientists designed to be integrated wherever scientists are present, in places such as online publications and universities web sites. Read more […]
The ongoing opposition between the scientific community and science publishers is evolving. The latter have tarnished their reputation on the count of greed and inability to give back to the community. Now, however, grassroots innovators and legacy publishers have started to develop tech-centric solutions to better serve the community. These could soon make a noticeable difference to the scientific process itself and bring tangible benefits to scientists. Time will tell whether the tide will turn and trust between the protagonists will return. Read more […]
The SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg conducts annual surveys of the Swedish public. It explores, among other things, media consumption, confidence in societal institutions and different professional groups. Since 2002, an independent and influential Swedish non-profit membership organisation that works to promote dialogue and openness between researchers and the public called Vetenskap & Allmänhet—which stands for Public and Science—has added a section to the SOM survey to study public confidence in science and scientists. The results of a study, which examines the hypothesis that media reports of research misconduct will have an impact on public confidence in science and scientists, are about to be uncovered at the ESOF 2014 conference, in June, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more […]
How much is too much? For all the talk that the publishers of major journals such as Science, Nature and the Lancet are charging too much for their wares, it seems a limit has been reached. French universities, in particular, have had enough and are just saying “non!” and cancelling their journal subscriptions. Is this the wake-up call the big publishers need? Should other universities follow suit, researchers organise a wider boycott, or is there another way to make the journal oligarchs realise that enough is enough? Read more […]
A little over decade from now, we may look back at the era when scientific research was locked up behind paywalls with curious fascination. How could it be that publicly funded research could be withheld from the very people that funded it, namely the taxpayer? How could access restricted even to the people that utilised it most, scientists? And how could a cabal of global publishers rake in billions in profit through activities they had little or no part in supporting financially? The Euroscientist looks at the way the field has evolved in Europe. Read more […]
The voyage towards open access was never going to be easy, especially in a field as conservative as academic publishing. Of late the seas have been stirred to greater turbulence by the waves of activity spreading open access across the globe.The increasing apparent complexities surrounding open access can be off-putting. But given that the rise of open access publishing is now widely seen as inexorable it is more important than ever that researchers take the trouble to inform themselves about this issue. Read more […]
It’s been great watching the open access (OA) debate slowly but completely transform over the last two years. Back when I started writing about OA, the big question was still whether or not the world should go that route at all. At times it has felt like a long, hard road from there to here, but we now live in a world where the US and UK governments have both officially declared their support for universal OA, and Europe’s Horizon 2020 research program will mandate OA, while the European Research Council strongly supports OA. The “whether to do OA” debate is over. Read more […]
The Euroscientist curates content from around the web connected to key topics of interest. Find out more on what others say about open access around the web, in our Noowit Edition, in the Innovation section. And Enjoy! Read more […]
The Euroscientist asks 5 questions on open access to Stephen Curry, professor of structural biology at Imperial College, London, UK, author of Reciprocal Space blog and blogger for the Guardian newspaper. Read our full report on open access due to be published on euroscientist.com on the 25th September 2013. Read more […]
European science conversations by the community, for the community
