Will the digital economy bill backfire?
(IWR Blog): The government used the Queen's speech to introduce a Digital Bill that will "enhance UK's digital economy" by effectively tackling the copyright infringement online and improving digital infrastructure and content technologies. Addressing one of the most pressing concerns of the digital age, the proposed Bill aims at providing… Read More
The surprising practice of pinching other people’s ideas
(stuff.co.nz): Scientists around the world are shocked by some recent outrageous plagiarism. Declan Butler, a writer for the journal Nature, has discovered many Iranian government ministers and senior officials publishing scientific papers lifted from other scientists' writing. They usually pinched big chunks of work, including tables and diagrams but, sometimes… Read More
Social Network for Translational Scientists
To enhance the career development of scientists and science trainees who hope to translate laboratory research into clinical medicine, AAAS, Science Careers, and Science have launched a new online social-networking site called CTSciNet, the Clinical and Translational Science Network. Read More
Hacked archive provides fodder for climate sceptics
(Newscientist.com): Climate scientists are reeling from the discovery that someone has hacked into the email archive of one of their most prestigious research centres, the Climate Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, UK, custodian of the most respected global temperature record. Climate sceptics have gleefully blogged that… Read More
Let internet replace journals
(TheAustralian.com): Those who pay for scientific research have to pay again to read the results. This practice is ripping off taxpayers at the expense of a few international publishers. But for how much longer? Read More
Is Semantic Technology Real?
(Fastforwardblog.com): Semantic technology is all the rage, sometimes even dubbed “Web 3.0.” However, many people—especially those making technology decisions for enterprises—wonder whether semantic technology has meaningful applications in the enterprise. Based on hands-on experience working with semantic tools, this panel of experts will establish the boundaries between reality and hype… Read More
New journal supplements provide useful resource for tackling disease in the developing world
BioMed Central has published several supplements aimed at improving health in developing countries over the past month. Last week, a collection of articles published in BMC Public Health concluded that money available to treat HIV/AIDS is sufficient to end the epidemic globally, but only if we act immediately to control… Read More
Huge journal profits hit universities
(Universityworldnews.com): Reed Elsevier, a UK-based international academic publication company, made £1,379 billion (US$2.3 billion) net profit last year, while its competitors Informa and Springer made smaller but similarly massive profits of £305.8 million (US$511 million) and 285 million euro (US$431 million) respectively. But there are huge social costs to these… Read More
Publishing, aggregation and “The Innovator’s Dilemma”
(Ondemandmedia.com): News consumers are mainly interested in news coverage, not content. Coverage is a service that promises to keep its users "in the loop" about what is relevant to them and their peer groups. Because it is an ongoing, day-to-day service, coverage is all about loyalty: once consumers find a… Read More
Scholarly Communications will Transform via Cybermetrics
(Academicevolution.com): Cybermetrics applied to scholarship will revitalize traditional academic publishing and pave the way for new uses and genres of intellectual work. As scholars and their institutions begin to use cybermetrics they can enrich scholarly productivity and maximize the influence of their intellectual output. Read More
