UKSG Serials-eNews

Some of the topics in the UKSG Searials-eNews in the last three issues were:

22 Feb 2008, no. 164

* Harvard Faculty adopts open access requirement

Harvard University's arts and sciences faculty has approved a plan that will post finished academic papers online free, unless scholars specifically decide to opt out of the open access programme. While other institutions have similar repositories for their faculty's work, Harvard's is unique for making online publication the default option. The policy will allow Harvard authors to publish in any journal that permits posting online after publication.

* CrossRef launches free citation tool for bloggers

CrossRef has launched the beta version of a plug-in that allows bloggers to look up and insert DOI-enabled citations in the course of authoring a blog. The plug-in, which is available for download, allows the blogger to use a widget-based interface to search CrossRef metadata using citations or partial citations. The results of the search, with multiple hits, are displayed and the author can then either click on a hit to follow the DOI to the publisher's site, or click on an icon next to the hit to insert the citation into their blog entry (as either a full citation or as a short 'op. cit.').

* What does Higher Education want from Publishers?

The purpose of this well-attended conference was to review the future of the textbook - a campaign which the Publishers Association has promoted since 2003. There were a number of highlights to the day, which started with an impressive overview of academic publishing and university concerns. Students and academics from Manchester Metropolitan University gave their views on how they wanted to use textbook material. The presentations from the conference are available online.

8 Feb 2008, no 163:

* Researchers of the future: underskilled?

Discussion on the report about the so-called "Google Generation" - Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slais/research/ciber/downloads/

The report counters the common assumption that the 'Google Generation' - young people born or brought up in the Internet age - is the most adept at using the web. "Our verdict: This is a dangerous myth. Digital literacies and information literacies do not go hand in hand. A careful look at the literature over the past 25 years finds no improvement (or deterioration) in young people's information skills."

The report claims that, although young people demonstrate an ease and familiarity with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web.

The report calls for libraries to respond urgently to the changing needs of researchers and other users and to understand the new means of searching and navigating information. Learning what researchers want and need is crucial if libraries are not to become obsolete - libraries and information services need to become "much more e-consumer-friendly and less stodgy and intellectual".

* Academics want to improve peer review

A study involving 3,000 authors, reviewers and editors has been written up in a new report by Mark Waring Consulting called Peer review in scholarly journals: perspective of the scholarly community - an international study. The full report, Peer review in scholarly journals: perspective of the scholarly community - an international study, can be accessed on the Publishing Research Consortium website. A summary report, Peer review: benefits, perceptions, and alternatives, is also available.

* Swets to act as global sales partner for Wiley's OnlineBooks

Wiley has announced that it has chosen Swets to act as a global sales partner for its range of OnlineBooks. This deal makes the range of electronic book material hosted on Wiley Interscience's web platform available to order directly through Swets.

* The Royal Society chooses HighWire
HighWire Press and the Royal Society have announced a new partnership in the provision of the independent scientific academy's publications online. All content of the Society's eight periodicals, some dating back as early as 1665, will be live on HighWire's e-publishing platform from 2009.

25 Jan 2008, no. 162:

* The issue of identity for institutions and individuals:

Thomson Scientific has launched ResearcherID.com, a web environment which enables researchers to create stable personal identifiers to present their works and manage public presentation of their personal metrics. Each individual identification (ID) number will act as a digital 'calling card' that the researcher can place anywhere, such as a personal home page, a CV, or a university page. The identifier links to a personal workspace that automatically updates citation data, user-generated tags and keywords, and professional information that can be shared with the public or kept for personal monitoring. ResearcherID.com ensures an accurate record of a researcher's output and attribution, providing a gateway for colleagues to pinpoint not only that researcher's published work, but also the researcher as a potential collaborator. Web of Science users will be able to create identifiers and workspaces to share publicly, with wider availability via trusted sponsors in the future.

* IEEE continues to update legacy content

Originally promised to be 180,000 documents large, the IEEE Xplore legacy collection has topped 237,286 documents as IEEE continues to complete its vision to provide the first volume, first issue release of all its technology journals.