Sally Collings’ Post

Clarivate’s actions regarding eLife: DORA’s response eLife, a pioneer in academic-led publishing and innovative peer review, faces challenges as Clarivate suspends its indexing in the Web of Science. Explore the implications for scholarly publishing, innovation, and the role of commercial entities like Clarivate. https://lnkd.in/dqmqYzUp #OpenScience #ScholarlyPublishing #PeerReview #eLife #AcademicInnovation #WebOfScience #JournalImpactFactor #ResearchPublishing

Life is all about learning and learning is life.... I am happy to be acknowledged for my contribution as a reviewer for the Springer Nature's Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering Journal. A big thanks to the editor for selecting me for reviewing the research paper in the esteemed journal. Looking forward for the beautiful journey in the field of researchers and reviewers. #Engineering #JournalReview #springer #journal #reviewer #Review #research

Randall Munroe's book What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions takes a light-hearted yet scientifically grounded approach to answering wild and imaginative questions. Here are 10 lessons from the book: 1. Curiosity Has No Limits: The book emphasizes the importance of curiosity, demonstrating that even the most outlandish questions can lead to fascinating scientific explorations. 2. Science Can Be Fun: Munroe shows that science doesn't have to be dry or boring. By exploring absurd scenarios, he makes complex scientific concepts accessible and entertaining. 3. Understanding Probability: Many of the answers in the book hinge on understanding probability and risk, helping readers grasp these concepts in a fun and relatable way. 4. Appreciate the Scale of Natural Forces: Through the exploration of extreme scenarios, Munroe highlights the immense power and scale of natural forces, like gravity, radiation, and kinetic energy. 5. Embrace Uncertainty: Some of the questions don't have definitive answers, teaching readers that uncertainty is a natural part of scientific inquiry and exploration. 6. The Value of Thought Experiments: The book showcases the importance of thought experiments in science, allowing us to explore theoretical outcomes without the need for physical experiments. 7. Interdisciplinary Knowledge is Powerful: Munroe's answers often draw from multiple scientific disciplines, illustrating how interconnected different fields of knowledge can be. 8. Imagination Drives Innovation: By thinking outside the box, even the most imaginative and seemingly impossible ideas can lead to new insights and discoveries. 9. Be Prepared for Unexpected Outcomes: Some of the book’s scenarios lead to surprising or unintended results, reminding us that science often uncovers the unexpected. 10. Critical Thinking is Essential: Munroe's approach encourages readers to think critically about the information presented, question assumptions, and consider the broader implications of scientific findings. These lessons highlight the joy of learning and the importance of questioning the world around us, no matter how absurd the questions might seem.

The first academic journal, Journal des sçavans, was established in 1665 and solved a big problem: How could people like Newton tell the world they had made new discoveries? Scientists no longer had to write letters to their friends, counting on their friends to tell their friends, via essentially a chain letter scheme. Fast forwarding to today, research findings are still largely disseminated via academia journals after almost 400 years. But is that effective? Modern-day researchers don't wait to publish after they discover laws of the universe anymore, instead they build and maintain research programs incrementally. Each publication is an update that should be taken in the context of their own past work, but individually journal articles, scattered around countless journals these days, don't effectively provide that context. Moreover, journal articles are so one-dimensional - PDFs can do so much and "online content" behind greedy publishers' paywalls has never been known for their user-friendliness. What I'm trying to suggest is that it's perhaps about time we rethink how scientific research should be disseminated among researchers. Shouldn't we have some form of publications that allow us to more easily understand where research findings come from, and what implications they may have on others? A solution like that not only addresses the practical issues with commercial publishers these days, but also may genuinely make science better.

Posted 150724-01 Tag #libraries #openaccess #digital #research #academic In yesterdays post (140724-05) I touched on my interest in libraries. Not surprisingly these are now digital libraries although I still enjoy the physical libraries. But it is the growth in digital libraries that really interests me. Oddly enough I also have a special interest in historical artifacts inclusive of in particular historical record keeping. Remember I write and publish history books. So Museums and Government Public Records Offices come into my range of interests. Particularly once again the digitisation of these services and ideally their integration into the conventional public community library domain. Some of the United Kingdom Local Councils with the eye on the future are looking to build this into a Heritage Hub concept following some of the developments in America. Somehow the Government has got to establish some centralised ownership on what unfortunately is as usual becoming a fragmented mess. Inevitably to watch trends I choose to watch progress in America. What is certainly in progress is major digital consolidation of owning the source of journals, magazines, books, conferences, podcasts, videos etc around specific areas of subject matter that are accurately and accessibly structured. Just to reiterate this is a huge subject capturing, categorising, evaluating and sharing information whilst clearly defining facts (science) from differing opinions and points of view. This highlights the importance of the peer review process which is integral to publishing. But just to keep it narrow I am just looking at Physics again here in this post. Historically through the United Kingdom Royal Society founded in 1660 we established the scientific library principles. The Royal Society invented scientific publishing and the process of peer review. So the United Kingdom in many critics eyes we have lost the lead role in international scientific research. But this is because we have failed to market some of the outstanding activities still being undertaken by the United Kingdom. So let’s highlight one here. I am just going to highlight the Institute of Physics (IOP) here as an example and suggest you look at some links about them below. IOP website https://lnkd.in/e6yXxHyK Wikipedia link https://lnkd.in/ei9PM6-a At the same time they are party to consolidating with some American Organisations through so called purpose led publishing initiative. Also a link to an IOP website targetted at Chinese readers to illustrate the growth of the United Kingdom’s global influence. Purpose led publishing website https://lnkd.in/eBy2J6Va IOP China website https://lnkd.in/erg2b6iy Take time to have a look around. Also buy a second hand copy of this book below since it makes for a brilliant read. Once again Bill Bryson does an excellent job of drawing together many excellent authors on the subjects covered by the Royal Society. Enjoy. Banno

How do the pressures of “publish or perish” shape the way science is done today? 🤔 What lessons can we take from the human side of research—the mistakes, the triumphs, and everything in between? 🧠 And how do we ensure science progresses with integrity in a landscape that’s more competitive than ever? 🌍 Eric J. Mittemeijer’s How Science Runs: Impressions from a Scientific Career dives deep into these questions, offering a fascinating and candid look at the realities of modern scientific research. From his decades-long career in materials science, Mittemeijer reflects on both the remarkable progress science has made and the challenges that have come with it. What makes this book stand out isn’t just the technical insights—it’s the stories. The human side of science. The ethical dilemmas. The stark realities of academia. It’s an honest, sometimes sobering, but ultimately inspiring read that’s relevant today. If you’re a student, a researcher, or simply curious about the world of science, this is a book worth picking up. And here’s some good news: you can get 20% off through May 1, 2025, using the coupon code SCIENCE2025 on SpringerLink. 🛍️ 🔗 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/euxiMWnT #Science #MaterialsScience #ResearchEthics #Academia #HowScienceRuns

I've just finished a first draft of issue 75 of the Journalology newsletter. It's going to be a good one, I think. In the meantime, here's the link to issue 74: https://lnkd.in/dRgC-GtJ 🗞️ 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 ‣ Welcome to STM Trends 2028 ‣ Algorithm ranks peer reviewers by reputation — but critics warn of bias ‣ BTAA Libraries, CDL and Lyrasis commit to strengthen Diamond OA in USA ‣ Harvard Library is Launching Harvard Open Journals Program ‣ Supported transfer service from Taylor & Francis journals to PeerJ ‣ Cambridge University Press expands Cassyni partnership ‣ Unlocking the potential of open science for knowledge mobilisation 💬 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡 ‣ Comparing Funder Metadata in OpenAlex and Dimensions ‣ Peer Review Innovations: Researcher to Reader 2024 Workshop ‣ Ivan Klimes: a founder of modern science, journal, publishing ‣ The Future of Image Integrity in Scientific Research ‣ PDF to HTML/XML Converter in the Preprint Ecosystem ‣ Retractions are part of science, but misconduct isn’t 📓 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 ‣ The effects of sharing research data, code, and preprints on citations #scholarlypublishing #academicpublishing #openaccess #peerreview

We need an International Journal of Failed Experiments. Seriously! During my personal and professional life, I learned that failure is one of the best teachers. Indeed, seeing how an idea, project, or initiative fails after You put Your whole heart and soul into it might be overwhelming. Nevertheless, faced with such an eventuality, one must understand that it is a superb learning opportunity, as there were likely some good reasons for it. Analysis of such situations is invaluable, allowing us to avoid mistakes or have better judgment next time. One way or another, we learn from our failures and ride on our successes. However, if we look at scientific publications – a backbone of modern science – seemingly everything is always a success. And even if unsuccessful experiments find their way into scientific papers, they serve merely as a contrast to better results or as a piece of storytelling. That’s unsurprising because almost all modern scientific works are required to be novel, groundbreaking, or disruptive to be published. Especially in high-impact factor journals. There is just no room to publish some very interesting and telling experiments showing what not to do, what does not work, or what might have looked excellent on paper but turned out to be complete rubbish after experimental results were collected. This compromises scientific methods in a very fundamental manner. For instance, the modern understanding of the composition of an atom (i.e. heavy nucleus surrounded by electrons) was discovered when the experimental result was seemingly a complete failure, as it did not align with the prevailing theory at the time. Yet the discovered discrepancy led to science-changing revelations we all now accept as a fact. Of course, this comparison is quite extreme, and most failed experiments or concepts are nothing more than a simple failure or miscalculation. But, as mentioned, there is a lot to be learned from failure. Scientific literature could make do with a lot less grandiose fluff and with a lot more grounding in reality when showing how much trial and error went into making the best-looking truly groundbreaking results. In other words, let’s make science realistic again! #ModernScience #ScientificLiterature

Our CTO, Dr. Linas Jonušauskas, emphasizes the invaluable lessons we can learn from failure. From both personal and professional experiences, he’s seen that failure, though often overwhelming, is a powerful teacher. Read more below 👇 #Science #Innovation

Unmasking the Capitalistic Face of Scientific Publishing 💼🔬 In today's world, it seems that even the pursuit of knowledge isn't immune to the invisible hand of capitalism. We've created a system where access to scientific research is often restricted to those who can afford it, or those who've successfully navigated the gauntlet of peer review. But, let's pause for a moment and ask ourselves: in our quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe, have we inadvertently allowed capitalism to dictate the boundaries of human knowledge? This is a question that's been brewing in the minds of many, and it's about time we had a frank discussion about it. The current state of scientific publishing is a complex web of profit margins, paywalls, and exclusivity that often leaves the general public, and even many scientists, on the outside looking in. But, what's the solution? Should we tear down the walls of scientific publishing and let the knowledge flow freely like a river? Or, should we continue to let the market dictate the value of scientific research? It's a tough nut to crack, but one thing's for sure: the status quo isn't working for everyone. So, let's put our heads together and find a better way forward. After all, knowledge is power, and shouldn't that power be accessible to all? #scientificpublishing #capitalism #knowledgeispower