IOP Publishing and Research Information Network (RIN) recently released a new report on information practices in the physical sciences.
While cross-border and cross-disciplinary collaborations are breaking down subject siloes across the physical sciences, a culture of traditional and DIY information practices still holds sway among scientists when it comes to the curation, management and publication of formal research findings.
The new report examines how physical scientists find, use, share and disseminate research information – and specifically how their information practices are changing as a result of new digital technologies.
The survey found that 70% of respondents had collaborated formally with researchers outside their own department in the last five years, with a further 16% collaborating informally.
At an individual level, the report identifies a widespread preference among physical scientists for building personal collections of research articles, with 87% of respondents storing the last article they read electronically (and 29% storing a paper copy as well).
On dissemination, peer-reviewed journals remain the gold standard for sharing formal research outputs in the physical sciences, with 79% of respondents commonly sharing research findings, data or code through traditional journal publication.
RIN also asked researchers about their priorities over the next 10 years. Funding pressures, collaboration and research impact emerge as the big themes, with open access to data and public engagement of less concern.
The report and is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial- Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales licence.
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