This week, we watch an interview with Laura Dormer about the future of research impact metrics. We read about a hackathon that demonstrated the strengths and limitations of using AI to support research communications, and we learn about the launch of the EDCH. We also explore the key findings of The State of Open Data 2024 Special Report. Finally, we signpost three upcoming webinars about balancing publishing innovation with integrity, building relationships between journal editors and publishers, and trends in the use of copyrighted content.
To watch:
Impact metrics for future-proof scholarly publishing via ACSE | 17-minute watch
In this second episode of the Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE) 2024 year in review series, Maryam Sayab (Director of Communications at ACSE) interviews Laura Dormer (Co-founder and Editorial Director at Becaris Publishing) about the evolving landscape of research metrics. Laura goes on to share her perspective on the role of publishers in educating authors and researchers about traditional and emerging journal metrics, and what they mean for journal selection and transparency.
To read:
Using AI to write research papers: a field experiment via Research Information | 4-minute read
“Consider them [artificial intelligence (AI) tools] as collaborators that can help streamline the writing process, not substitutes for human creativity or intellectual effort,” says Marc Ratkovic (Professor of Social Data Science at the University of Mannheim). When researchers at the University of Mannheim held a hackathon exploring AI’s role in academic writing, they knew their students were already using AI tools. Through the 3-day event, they set out to explore the strengths and limitations of AI for research communication. The event demonstrated that AI can enhance writing productivity, coherence, clarity and accessibility for non-native English speakers, but human oversight remains essential.
OPERAS launches EDCH via OPERAS | 4-minute read
On 15 January 2025, the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) was launched to support diamond open access (OA) publishing in Europe. Led by OPERAS, the EDCH offers six essential services, including a registry, quality assurance tools and a training platform. The initiative aims to create an equitable and sustainable diamond OA publishing infrastructure, which “allows journal and book editors to publish their work at no cost to themselves, under the Diamond OA standard,” explains Johan Rooryck (Executive Director of cOAlition S).
Author insights on the State of Open Data via Figshare | 4-minute read
For the first time, the State of Open Data 2024 Special Report went beyond understanding the perspectives of researchers to explore the actions they are taking to further open data uptake. In this article, author of the report Mark Hahnel (Vice President of Open Research at Digital Science) shares his perspectives on the key findings and outlines the steps needed to drive further change in the adoption of open data practices.
To engage with:
Balancing innovation and integrity in scholarly publishing via Karger
How can librarians, researchers and publishers enhance research credibility and collaboration? Join Hjördis Czesnick (Research Integrity Advisor, Head of Office at the German Research Ombudsman), Eleni Spyrakou (Senior Researcher at the National Technical University of Athens), Joel B Thornton (Associate Dean, Collections and Scholarly Communication at the University of Utah) and Gráinne McNamara (Research Integrity and Publications Ethics Manager at Karger Publishers) on Thursday 6 February in this latest Karger in conversation webinar to find out!
Relationships between journal editors and publishers via Opus
Explore how journal editors can develop productive partnerships with publishers in this webinar from Opus. Taking place on Friday 30 January, panellists Anna Stilz (Professor of Political Science at University of California, Berkeley), Johan Rooryck (Executive Director of cOAlition S), Jon Gurstelle (Senior Director, Publications at the American Political Science Association) and Moin Syed (Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota) will explore topics including editorial independence, open access, publication models and the impact of commercial interests. Registration is open to all.
Trends in the use of copyrighted content via Copyright Clearance Center
The 2025 Copyright Clearance Center Copyrighted content usage trends webinar will take place on Tuesday 28 January. Register now to join Hugh Logue (Vice President and Lead Analyst at Outsell, Inc.) and Stephen Garfield (Vice President, Client Engagement at Copyright Clearance Center) as they discuss the results of the latest Information seeking and consumption study and share insights into compliance workflow solutions.
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