(22 June 2021) Review papers play a significant role in curating the scholarly record. Drawing on a study of close to six million research articles, Peter McMahan shows how review papers not only focus and shift attention onto particular papers, but also serve to shape entire research domains by linking them together and outlining core…
Research4Life programs make a significant positive difference to research experiences in low- and middle-income countries – but only when users know they are available and how to use them. (21 June 2021) Key findings of an independent Research4Life user experience review conducted during 2020 using a combination of interviews, surveys and focus groups by INASP…
(30 Jun 2021) A new Open Access pilot scheme from Cambridge University Press will turn conventional publishing models on their head by making academic monographs that sell the most copies available online for free. The initiative, called Flip it Open, will see selected books published and sold as normal, primarily through library collections for universities. But…
(30 Jun 2021) Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today released the 2021 update to its annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR)™. The annual JCR release enables the research community to evaluate the world’s high-quality academic journals using a range of indicators, descriptive data and visualizations. The…
(30 Jun 2021) Skillsoft Corp. (NYSE: SKIL) (“Skillsoft” or the “Company”), a global leader in corporate digital learning, today announced it has acquired Pluma, Inc. (“Pluma”), a leading digital professional development and executive-quality coaching platform, for approximately $22 million in cash. The acquisition deepens Skillsoft’s Leadership Development portfolio, adds a new modality to its blended learning model, and…
(23 Jun 2021) The pandemic presented an urgency for effective science to inform decision-making and has shown just how fast and open scholarly communication can be. Researchers shared their preliminary results on preprint servers and institutional repositories at unprecedented rates, inspiring various preprint peer-review initiatives. Journal publishers processed manuscripts from submission to publication in record time. And…
(19 May 2021) The digitization of Chinese classics is challenging, as Chinese ancient characters are complex. Throughout history, one Chinese character might have several variants and written forms. Digitizing Chinese ancient books through optical character recognition (OCR) not only facilitates machine reading but also gives a new life to numerous ancient books for public peruse. …
When they realised even Miles Franklin winners can be sent to the pulp pile, authors, librarians and academics began building a digital ark for bereft books (24 Jun 2021) Of the 62 books that won Australia’s Miles Franklin Award between 1957 and 2019, 23 are currently not available as ebooks, 40 are not available…
(29 Jun 2021) Every five years, the Australian Government renews and consolidates its policy approach to the facilities, equipment, resources and personnel that make up Australia’s National Research Infrastructure (NRI). The Government is encouraging the research community and its stakeholders to be part of the development of the 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap. …
(16 Jun 2021) For many years, IFLA has monitored the emergence of issues around copyright and digital lending, in particular the ability of libraries to purchase and lend eBooks under reasonable licensing terms, as well as to give access to their collections remotely. While digital tools have created new practical possibilities to support education, research…