1. Cabell's Predatory Journal Blacklist: An Updated Review
Cabell's Blacklist is a directory of journals that are published using questionable, suspicious, or objectively deceitful and dishonest strategies. Two years after its initial entry into the marketplace, Cabell's Blacklist has matured into a carefully crafted and highly useful directory of predatory and deceptive journals, notes Rick Anderson, in his post in the Scholarly Kitchen Blog.
The blog post says (quote): Cabell's has included a new feature: the ability to download a list of journals that have been removed from the Whitelist. It is important to understand (and Cabell’s is at pains to point this out on its website) that a journal’s removal from the Whitelist does not mean - or even suggest - that the journal has been added to the Blacklist. It means only that the journal no longer meets all of Cabell’s criteria for inclusion in the Whitelist. And here it is worth noting the evolution of Cabells’ directory product over the years. The Cabell’s Directory established in the late 1970s was a more neutral tool, one that made no particular representation as to the quality of the journals included. This began to change in 2011, when Cabell’s began developing a set of quality metrics and applying them when considering journals for inclusion in its directory; these metrics were fully implemented in 2013, at which point the directory morphed into a Whitelist; in 2015, Cabell’s removed from its list over 2,000 journals that failed to meet those criteria...........(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
2. The importance of industry associations
Taxonomy Boot Camp London has the support of a number of partner organisations in this field. They help them to promote the event by encouraging their members to submit a proposal or attend. With an impressive line up of influential industry support for the 2019 event, Helen Lippell, in her post in the Taxonomy Boot Camp Blog, reflects on the importance of industry associations.
The blog post says (quote): Members come from a variety of backgrounds including academia, the public sector and the private sector. Another advantage of being an association member is support. It was helpful to chat to friends in the industry instead, as many had had similar experiences (taxonomists and other information professionals often have to fight to prove their value when businesses cut back). Going to association events helps to adapt to the change and grow. Association events are an excellent way to learn new things in a cost-effective way. By way of example, NetiKx charges £60 a year which includes free access to at least 6 meetings a year. In the last few months topics have included: working with complexity, linked open data and blockchain. As corporate training budgets are squeezed, this kind of learning opportunity is essential..........(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
3. How to approach the revolution in scholarly publishing
There is a digital revolution underway. It's changing how many things are done - including scholarly publishing. The way that academic research is published, and its availability, has shifted over time, notes Robin Crewe, in his post in the MENAFN - The Conversation Blog.
The blog post says (quote): The report presents a bibliometric analysis of all forms of peer-reviewed scholarly publishing in South Africa between 2004 and 2014 - books, journal articles and conference proceedings. The analysis was carried out by the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology at Stellenbosch University. This yielded many positive findings. Among them are the effectiveness of the Department of Higher Education and Training's publication incentive funding. But there are concerns, too. The analysis found evidence of academics publishing in predatory journals and conference proceedings. In these instances, academics paid for their research to be published without it going through peer review or any proper assessment process. There were also examples of questionable editorial practices; for instance, editors or members of editorial boards publishing in their own journals. Academics and institutions must be more vigilant when it comes to identifying and avoiding predatory publishers and conferences. Editors of scholarly journals should be required to adhere to the National Scholarly Editors Forum code of conduct..........(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
4. Building online personas: Has social media become an exercise in self-branding?
Posted by Gal Oestreicher-Singer, Hilah Geva, and Maytal Saar-Tsechansky in the LSE Impact of Social Sciences Blog, the post discusses the extent to which users of twitter use the platform in order to diversify their identities, or to maintain 'on message' branded identities. Presenting a novel methodology, their findings suggest that twitter has become a tool for targeted self promotion, behaviour that is especially prevalent in professional bloggers.
The blog post says (quote): Social media provides more than just a channel for disseminating personal brand content: it provides the content itself. In fact, it is possible to develop a social media presence without expressing a single original idea, simply by re-posting content created by others. This means that, with relatively minimal effort, users can use social media platforms to reinvent themselves. If one has always wanted to be seen as a sports expert or a music buff, they don't have to invest the time to become knowledgeable in those areas; they can just share content produced by people who already are. The question is, do people take advantage of this opportunity? Or to put it differently, how do social media users incorporate others' content into their online personal brands? Do they use it to create personas that go beyond the boundaries of their own expertise? Or do they stick with what they know, sharing content related to domains they are already familiar with?...........(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
5. A Hidden Diversity in Scholarly Publishing
The divergent backgrounds found in scholarly publishing make it a vibrant and diverse community, but the large population of former academics imbues their community with another, overlooked attribute: neurodiversity. An awareness of how neurodiverse people in academia and scholarly publishing perceive the world can improve working relationships and help them achieve their potential, discusses Tim Vines, in his post in the Scholarly Kitchen Blog.
The blog post says (quote): People with severe autism don't generally enter the workforce, but those with mild autism can go on to have successful and productive careers. They may even go on to revolutionise their field, as some combinations of autistic traits can lead to an extraordinary capacity for innovation and the single-mindedness to make their vision a reality. The drive to embrace other aspects of diversity in scholarly publishing and elsewhere focuses on equity and inclusion, which is the idea that everyone is given the tools and opportunities they need to achieve their potential. For neurodiversity, the difference between equality (everyone is given the same opportunities) and equity (everyone is given what they need to succeed) is particularly stark..........(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
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