Alyssa Arbuckle

On “Research Output Availability on Academic Social Networks: Implications for Stakeholders in Academic Publishing,” by Mikael Laakso et al.

January 28, 2018 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In “Research Output Availability on Academic Social Networks: Implications for Stakeholders in Academic Publishing,” Mikael Laakso, Juho Lindman, Cenyu Shen, Linus Nyman, and Bo-Christer Björk study the role of Academic Social Networks (ASNs) in the scholarly communication landscape. In particular, the authors look at the popular, commercial platforms ResearchGate and academia.edu, and “the degree of full-text access that ASNs provide as a share of total research output of an institution” (127). Laakso et al. argue that the impact and prominence…

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On “How to Scuttle a Scholarly Communication Initiative,” by Dorothea Salo

January 21, 2018 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In “How to Scuttle a Scholarly Communication Initiative,” Dorothea Salo offers a tongue-in-cheek accounting of the various ways one could systematically destroy a scholarly communication initiative–especially an OA scholarly communication initiative. She writes from the library perspective, but her comments resonate across those who are involved with scholarly communication in any role. Salo’s satire is poignant because it is so relatable; among her suggestions for destroying a schol comm initiative are: not investing in an initiative in the longterm, but…

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On “From the Ground Up: A Group Editorial on the Most Pressing Issues in Scholarly Communication,” by Nicky Agate, Gail Clement, Danny Kingsley, Sam Searle, Leah Vanderjagt, and Jen Waller

January 21, 2018 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

“From the Ground Up: A Group Editorial on the Most Pressing Issues in Scholarly Communication” draws together the perspectives of six Editorial Board members from the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication. The contributors were asked to consider the following prompts: What do you see as the most pressing issue(s) in scholarly communication today? What are we doing that’s important? What aren’t we doing that we should be? Who should we be working with? What mountains should we try to…

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On “‘Think Piece’ on a DI Roadmap,” by the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure

November 23, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In “‘Think Piece’ on a DI Roadmap,” members of the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure (LCDI) draw attention to the need for robust and sustainable digital research infrastructure in Canada. They are upfront about acknowledging the “challenges of adapting to the rapidly evolving needs of data-intensive research in a time of fiscal restraint” (n.p.). To navigate this challenging situation, the authors chart some next steps that stakeholders in Canada could take. They call for a largely coordinated approach, with increased…

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On “Digital Canada 150: 2.0,” by the Minister of Industry (Government of Canada)

November 21, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In Digital Canada 150: 2.0, the Government of Canada Minister of Industry outlines how the government has responded to increasing developments in digital technology. In the prelude to the report, previous Industry Minister James Moore writes that “digital innovations and inventions are helping Canadians live better, more productive, healthier lives” (n.p.), and that the Digital Canada 150: 2.0 plan (and its precursor) is an actionable strategy to facilitate these potential positive outcomes of networked technologies. The authors suggest throughout the…

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On “Research Data Canada Response to Capitalizing on Big Data: Towards a Policy Framework for Advancing Digital Scholarship in Canada,” by Research Data Canada

November 21, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In “Research Data Canada Response to Capitalizing on Big Data: Towards a Policy Framework for Advancing Digital Scholarship in Canada,” Research Data Canada responds to a Government of Canada report. They acknowledge that the government’s report on digital scholarship in Canada is a good start, but that it requires more attention in 4 specific areas. Research Data Canada suggests that the Government of Canada needs to pay more heed to long term, rather than researcher-focused and thus short term, data…

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On “Consultation: Developing a Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy,” by the Government of Canada

November 16, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In this short document, “Consultation: Developing a Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy” the Government of Canada acknowledges that research methods and processes are changing as the prevalence and complexity of technology increases. The author suggests that “Canada’s current [digital research infrastructure] DRI ecosystem needs to be examined against these rapid changes,” and reiterates that the government intends to develop a more purpose-driven digital research infrastructure strategy. This new strategy will cover research data management and preservation, as well as provisions for…

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On “Policy Recommendations for Open Access to Research Data,” by the RECODE Project Consortium

November 16, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

“Policy Recommendations for Open Access to Research Data” is a report and summary of recommendations made by the RECODE Project Consortium. The RECODE Project is a European partnership that explores solutions to open access implementation and effective research data management. Project partners include Trilateral Research & Consulting, the (previously named) e-Humanities group at KNAW, the University of Sheffield, the Stichting LIBER Foundation, the National Documentation Center, the National Research Council of Italy, the Biekinge Institute for Technology, and the Amsterdam…

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On “Back to the Future,” by Bob Stein

November 10, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In “Back to the Future,” Bob Stein discusses SocialBook, an Institute for the Future of the Book project that uses networked technologies to publish and read cultural materials. He argues that prior to the invention of the printing press, reading used to be a collaborative activity in social knowledge creation. People would gather around texts, discuss them, and insert comments into manuscripts via marginalia. Once book production became mechanized, and more people developed literacy skills, reading became a much more…

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On “CommentPress: New (Social) Structures for New (Networked) Texts,” by Kathleen Fitzpatrick

November 10, 2017 Alyssa Comments 0 Comment

In “CommentPress: New (Social) Structures for New (Networked) Texts,” Kathleen Fitzpatrick suggests that electronic publishing should reproduce the organization and structure of the print book, rather than take a skuemorphic approach that mimics the look of the book, and instead of employing more radical, disorienting approaches. To do so, Fitzpatrick offers Commentpress as a potential option, a WordPress theme that allows for side-by-side commenting on academic texts. She argues that by using a platform like Commentpress, one can return to…

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