Weekly digest: the latest news on topics important to Open Pharma

Laura Schmidt

An invitation to share your thoughts on ORCID, ways to support preprints and a look at how piracy can negatively affect open-access journals

Why open-access journals aren’t immune to piracy via The Scholarly Kitchen

We may not know why people still use Sci-Hub to access content that is already open access, but this post sheds some light on the many ways in which piracy harms both open access and subscription journals.

ORCID wants your feedback! via ORCID
ORCID has launched its second community survey since the introduction of its registry in 2012. Share your opinions about ORCID for a chance to win one of ten gift vouchers worth US$50 (or your local equivalent) for an online store of your choice.

What are the benefits of open access to the general public? via IOS Press
ElHassan ElSabry explores the claims about the benefits of open access made in three types of document: key declarations and statements by supporters, the open-access policies of public funding agencies, and journal editorials on the adoption of open access. Although some people believe that the benefits of open access extend beyond academia, at the moment there is little supporting evidence for this; this article provides food for thought for future investigations.

How can you support preprints? via ASAPbio

Although preprints are gaining traction within the field of biology, there is still a long way to go before they are fully accepted. This post suggests 10 ways in which researchers can support preprints.

Future challenges for university-press publishing via The Chronicle of Higher Education

Contrary to popular belief, scholarly presses are not experiencing a crisis; however, they do face many challenges. In this piece, members of the Association of American University Presses share their thoughts on the issues of greatest concern to them.