This week, we read ORCID’s 2022 annual report, which highlights the organization’s achievements over the past year. We also learn about the difference between journal impact and real-world impact, and we read about Cambridge University Press’s new initiative for waiving APCs for authors from low- and middle-income countries. We also read about new data from PLOS’s Open Science Indicators data set. Finally, we highlight the 2023 German Open Science Festival and a webinar discussing different stakeholder viewpoints on preprints, and we listen to an interview with SciHub founder Alexandra Elbakyan.
To read:
The 2022 ORCID annual report via ORCID | 30-minute read
ORCID has released its annual report on its progress and achievements during 2022. The report covers last year’s launch of ORCID’s Global Participation Program, how ORCID is becoming compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA accessibility standard, and much more. Additionally, ORCID turned 10 years old in 2022 and celebrates this milestone by reflecting on the past decade’s successes and obstacles, as well as gazing into the future to predict what the next 10 years may bring. You can read the full report here!
The difference between journal impact and real-world impact via The Scholarly Kitchen | 6-minute read
This article by Charlie Rapple (Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of Kudos) evaluates the links between journal impact, research impact and real-world impact. In short, Charlie argues that, in theory, journal impact (i.e. the impact factor of the journal that research is published in) should not be equated to academic or real-world impact. The relevance, reach and quality of the research itself is a far more influential driver of real-world impact. But relevance, reach and quality are all influenced by journal and research impact and so, Charlie concedes, the reality is more nuanced.
Cambridge University Press removes APCs for authors from over 100 countries via Cambridge University Press | 3-minute read
The Cambridge Open Equity Initiative will, from 1 July 2023, allow authors from 5000 institutions in 107 countries to publish their research in 400 Cambridge University Press journals without any article processing charges (APCs). The countries included in the initiative are classed as low- or middle-income countries, where APCs are often prohibitive to authors wishing to publish their research open access.
PLOS releases another 6 months of data from its Open Science Indicators data set via PLOS | 6-minute read
PLOS has recently launched its Open Science Indicators data set, which is a freely available, public data set containing information on the prevalence of open science practices in PLOS articles, such as preprint posting, data sharing and code sharing. Using the Open Science Indicators, PLOS has now analysed and released data from the second half of 2022. In total, the data set now provides a view of changing open science practices over 4 years and has revealed three major patterns. These patterns are as follows: the rates of data repository use and data sharing are rising; the rate of code sharing has increased slightly; and the rate of preprint posting has held steady.
To engage with:
German Open Science Festival 2023 via Eveeno
After a successful inaugural festival in 2022, the German Open Science Festival returns for 2023 in Cologne, Germany, and this year’s theme is Meet, share, inspire, care! Taking place on 4 and 5 July 2023, the festival will feature keynote speakers, panel discussion, workshops and more. See the programme for full details of festival events, and you can follow any news and updates on the organizer’s Twitter page. Registration is required, and there is an admission fee, but student discounts are available.
The differing stakeholder viewpoints of preprints via SciELO 25
On 25 April 2023, join a panel of experts as they discuss their viewpoints on the current landscape of preprints, and what preprint use may mean for the future of scientific communication. The expert panel, hosted by preprint advocate Jessica Polka from ASAPbio, represent a variety of stakeholders, including preprint repositories, journals and research institutes. The webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. You can register here.
To listen to:
SciHub: an interview with the woman behind it all via Radiolab | 45-minute listen
Probably the most famous pirate website within the scientific and research communities, shadow library SciHub, provides free access to millions of research articles without any regard to copyright. In this podcast by Radiolab, hear from the woman behind it all, Alexandra Elbakyan, as she explains why she created the website, what it takes to evade the publisher’s paywalls, and how the website is maintained.
Have you watched our talk shows on the future of pharma research communications? Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 of the talk shows on our YouTube channel!
