JISC Collections, the membership organisation that supports the provision of digital content for education and research in the UK, has published a report titled 'UK Scholarly Reading and the Value of Library Resources.' The report is based on research carried out by Prof. Carol Tenopir from the Center for Information and Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee. The report examines how valuable scholarly reading has become for academics, especially in terms of access to journal articles. It surveyed academic and associate staff at six UK Higher Education institutions in 2011. From the academics' perspective, the University Library remains the first choice for access to scholarly material as it provides a wide range of high quality articles in a timely and cost-effective manner. In this respect, the University Library can rightly stake its claim to having an integral role in the academic research process, not just a supporting one, it is felt. The report includes comments from academics about how they are engaging with library-provided resources and why it is so important that access is maintained. Typical outcomes from these scholarly readings include inspiring new thinking and improving research results. The research also examined what academics would do if library resources were not available. The findings suggest that without the library, academics and their departments would not find articles of such quality, that they would find fewer related articles, and that it would be a significantly more costly and time-consuming process. An examination of searching and browsing habits also shows the value of library-provided search tools in saving academic time in finding quality material more rapidly. The report is also seen to be encouraging for JISC Collections which is responsible for negotiating journal and database deals for the community as a whole, including the NESLi2, SHEDL and WHEEL consortia. The findings provide further evidence of the value derived from journals included in 'bundled deals', both in terms of current journal articles and archival collections. Although the survey focuses on academics, it is worth noting that the article readings are also used to support teaching, so staff and students alike are benefiting from access to these resources. The research is part of a wider international Lib-Value project being coordinated by the Center for Information and Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee. The report is available at: http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Reports/ukscholarlyreadingreport Search for more Industry study reports To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
InTech, a Croatia-based open access (OA) publisher, has published the results of a survey appraising attitudes and awareness of the research community towards the OA business model in scholarly publishing. The InTech white paper, titled 'Open Access: Awareness and Attitudes amongst the Author Community', is based on a review of current research and a survey sent to 20,000 STM researchers worldwide. The survey attracted an overall response rate of 1.3 percent, with 275 participants taking part and 253 (92 percent) completing it. The majority of respondents were researchers (75 seventy) based at a university (70 seventy). Key findings from the report reveal that of 258 participants who responded when asked, 51 percent said they understood OA publishing, and 36 percent said they had some knowledge of it. The report notes that the OA publishing experience is lower but still strong. Twenty six percent of the respondents said that they had published with an OA publisher for a journal article and 10 percent for a book. It was found that researchers in biological sciences had greater awareness and experience, particularly in journals, while participants from the earth sciences and technology had lower awareness and less OA publishing experience. Over 25 percent of researchers are aware of OA publishers such as PLoS, InTech, BioMedCentral and Hindawi. For OA journal publications, it is the image and reputation of the journal itself that is the most important factor for authors when considering where to submit their work; but for books it is the image and reputation of the publisher. The survey highlighted that authors want more support from publishers in getting their work noticed - services provided by publishers where the level of satisfaction scored lowest centred on PR and media support; post-publication information on usage / citations / peer feedback; and promoting the author effectively alongside their work. The survey also explored the most common concerns surrounding OA publishing; among these were author fees. Over 65% (of the 256 participants who responded) said they were willing to pay author fees, 30% said they would be willing to pay if it helped ensure the widest possible audience for their work, while 38% would only pay in exceptional circumstances. The full results can be downloaded from: http://www.intechweb.org/js/ckeditor/kcfinder/upload/files/InTech_WhitePaper_FutureofOA_Dec11.pdf. Search for more Industry study reports To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
Scientific publisher Nature Publishing Group (NPG), UK, has announced an expansion in open access among its society-owned titles. A new open access journal, Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids, has now launched at www.nature.com/mtna. In addition Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Spinal Cord now offer open access options. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids is the official journal of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy and is a companion title to the high impact journal Molecular Therapy. It builds upon the success of Molecular Therapy in publishing important peer-reviewed research and cutting-edge reviews and commentaries targeted to advances in oligonucleotide and gene-based therapies. All content is freely available to researchers worldwide through the nature.com platform. An article-processing charge (APC) will be levied per article accepted for publication. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (CPT) is the official journal of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. It is a cross-disciplinary journal in experimental and clinical medicine devoted to publishing advances in the nature, action, efficacy, and evaluation of therapeutics. Spinal Cord is the official journal of the International Spinal Cord Society and is a multi-disciplinary title covering the whole-system of spinal cord injury. Authors publishing original research in CPT and Spinal Cord can opt to pay an APC to make their paper open access immediately on publication. The articles are deposited in PubMed Central at the time of publication, and authors can self-archive the final, published PDF of their work immediately. NPG has expanded open access options on journals published in China and Japan. Fifty five of its 59 academic and society publications have now introduced open access options or are open access journals. Search for more Scientific journals To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
STM publisher Springer has announced a partnership with the Entomological Society of Brazil to publish the journal Neotropical Entomology and a new book series Entomology in Focus. Prof. Fernando L.Consôli of the University of São Paulo is editor of both the journal and the book series. Founded in 1972, Neotropical Entomology is a bimonthly journal publishing original articles written by Brazilian and international experts in several sub-specialties of entomology, including bionomics, systematics, morphology, physiology, behaviour, ecology, biological control, crop protection and acarology. The Forum section publishes extensive reviews and thought-provoking articles on contemporary issues in entomology. Publishing at least three books a year, the new series Entomology in Focus seeks to deepen understanding of the diversity, life and ecology of insects. Books in this series will provide a comprehensive synthesis of basic and applied topics in the field of entomology, including insights into how humans can benefit from these organisms and at the same time diminish their negative effects. Search for more Entomology related STM journals To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
Healthcare publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), a Wolters Kluwer Health business, has announced that Willis-Knighton Health System has selected the expert clinical content in Lippincott's Nursing Procedures and Skills and Lippincott's Nursing Advisor to help their nurses deliver exceptional patient care. Lippincott's Nursing Procedures and Skills gives nurses accurate, step-by-step guidance for more than 1,200 evidence-based procedures. The online resource provides skills checklists and competency tests for each procedure to help facilities verify staff competence. Each procedure undergoes a thorough annual review process to ensure the most up-to-date clinical information is provided. Facilities can customise and add procedures to meet their specific needs. Lippincott's Nursing Advisor is designed to provide nurses quick and efficient access to the specific information needed to provide optimal patient care, including expert content from the best-selling Nursing Drug Handbook. Drug, disease, treatment, diagnostic test, and signs and symptoms monographs provide essential information to nurses quickly in their daily workflow. Customisation functionality allows hospital protocols to be added, improving staff awareness, compliance and care standardisation. Search for more Decision Support Tools To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
Overview: One day course: Increasingly, PM techniques are being used by publishers in order to handle change effectively. For example, moving a journal from one typesetter to another, or planning a marketing campaign with complex time-critical interdependencies are examples that will be familiar. In both of these cases and many others, PM techniques can be employed to ensure a successful outcome. The course will demonstrate, through the use of case studies, how to apply effective PM techniques within publishing. Event Date: December 11, 2012
Overview: One day course: The aim of this workshop is to guide management and business development staff through the required processes and tools needed to assess and prioritise business development opportunities, from the starting point of identifying new business ideas up to the point of delivering a business case for senior management or board level approval. Delegates will develop their own business case during the workshop. Delegates will understand how opportunities should be selected, quantified and mapped through the research process, and the key attributes which make a compelling business plan and business case will be identified. Event Date: November 30, 2012
Overview: One day course: Technology has removed the barriers between production, editorial, marketing, sales, customer services and most importantly – the customers. This course will provide an insight into the technologies behind eJournal delivery. The course will be business-centric – clearly positioning technologies in the context of the industry issues they aim to solve. Participants will learn how technology is used throughout the delivery of eJournals from publisher via library to the end-user. Event Date: November 27, 2012
Overview: One day course: Whether your production facility remains in-house or you have an outsourced arrangement, a knowledge of underlying technologies and associated jargon is essential. This course explains the current, common technologies used within the production workflow:- manuscript submission systems; file delivery mechanisms (such as FTP); PDF and PDF-X; use of SGML and XML for online products. A portion of the day will be dedicated to a 'clinic'. Event Date: November 21, 2012
Overview: One day course: This workshop will examine the issues, decisions and legal processes involved in the acquisition and sale of publishing assets and demonstrate how to achieve these as successfully and smoothly as possible. It will focus on sales and asset purchase but will also touch upon the considerations for buying or selling a company. Event Date: November 14, 2012
The US Center for Science in the Public Interest has questioned medical journals for not revealing the financial relationship the authors hold with drug companies for the studies that may potentially benefit the companies. . Scientists whose researches are funded by drug companies often publish their reports in prestigious scientific journals. Drug companies who fund the reports claim the results of the study while marketing the product. Publishers of the journals are left clueless about the funding agreement. Click Here
Allen Press had conducted an annual study to identify the pricing patterns of scientific and medical journals. The research covers the 2004 pricing of US journals and gives recommendations on the pricing structure for 2005. It carries comparisons between the pricing structures of non-profit society journals and discusses general pricing trends in the US. The author also ranks the journals based on the subscription charges and science categories with higher prices. The paper also forecasts the pricing strategy of science journals in 2005. Click Here
Researchers have voiced their support to Open Access (OA) that makes their works available to anyone free of cost. While commercial publishers have given a subdued response to OA, scientists welcome OA archiving, wherein institutions or academics maintain an electronic format of the studies submitted by the scientists. Amidst disapproval from publishers and scientific groups, OA archiving is gaining acceptance from developed nations. Economic factors, existing subsidised but limited free content supported by publishers and an inclination to traditional publishing are a few reasons that impede support for OA archiving from developing countries. Click Here
The “open access movement”, which is rapidly gaining ground in the area of STM publishing, stresses the free use of online medical research. As commercial publishers set high prices for medical periodicals and libraries struggle to sustain amidst shrinking budgets, a debate has flared up on the need for open access. Clinical and basic researchers point out that as these studies are funded by the government, the publishers must make them available for free. The increasing use of electronic format of journals has induced independent publishers, such as ASCO and JCO, to host e-journals as an extension of their respective membership programmes and educational missions. Click Here
The open access movement is gaining momentum. Critics have voiced their strong protests against the pricing of STM journals. The spiralling prices were, in fact, the major reason for the launch and rapid spreading of the open access movement. Does this mean the end of SRM publishers? No, says Bill Town in his article in Computing. Click Here
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