This week, we explore a survey that demonstrates researchers would like to be able to use AI to prepare manuscripts within the next 2 years. We also examine results from the latest OASPA Member survey and read why content reuse should be considered early during strategic publication planning. We learn about the experiences of scientists collaborating to preserve data at risk of being removed from US federal websites and ask how we can improve metrics demonstrating the impact of OA publishing. Finally, we consider the results of a global survey exploring trust in scientists and signpost an upcoming webinar about open research.
To read:
Researchers want to use AI to prepare manuscripts via Nature | 6-minute read
A survey of nearly 5000 researchers across 70 countries suggests many would like to use artificial intelligence (AI) to support manuscript preparation in the next 2 years. The survey, which was developed by Wiley, asked researchers how they are using generative AI tools and for their perspectives of potential future AI applications. The results reveal many researchers expect AI use to become standard practice for writing up documentation, identifying collaborators and adapting reviewer feedback within the next 2 years. However, 54% of respondents said ethical concerns were preventing them from using AI, and 70% would like publishers to provide clear guidelines on acceptable AI use.
OA publishing by OASPA Members slowed in 2023 via OASPA | 5-minute read
Growth in the number of open access (OA) articles published by Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) Members slowed to 4% in 2023, just a tenth of the long-term average growth. However, Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licences were attributed to 82% of articles published in fully OA journals and 60% of articles published in hybrid journals. Read more about the 2023 OASPA Member survey in this guest post from Dan Pollock (Chief Digital Officer at Delta Think) or access the full results here.
Strategic copyright planning via Wiley | 3-minute read
“Teams that plan their content reuse and licensing needs early in their budget cycle consistently achieve better results than those who handle licensing as a last-minute requirement,” explains Dean Martin (Head of Copyright and Permissions at Wiley). This article explores the importance of considering content reuse requirements early in the publication planning cycle and encourages publication managers to consider how audiences prefer to consume information before diverting budget from licensing activities.
Scientists collaborate to preserve CDC datasets via Nature | 5-minute read
The removal of datasets and information about public health and demographics from US federal websites has led scientists around the world to collaborate to preserve at-risk data. The move – a response to presidential executive orders – has left some concerned about their ability to continue research, with Cynthia Cox (Vice President of Kaiser Family Foundation) saying “without these surveys, we as a nation would not be able to respond to significant public-health issues”. This article by Smriti Mallapaty (Senior Reporter at Springer Nature) documents the experiences of four researchers who have contributed to efforts to preserve public datasets from sites including that of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A judge has now ruled that federal health agencies must restore websites and datasets that “physicians rely on to provide medical care”.
How OA benefits society via The Scholarly Kitchen | 8-minute read
How can we demonstrate the benefits of OA publishing to the lives of the public? In this article, Lettie Y Conrad (Product Experience Architect at LibLynx) shares her vision for the future of storytelling with OA publication data and explores new approaches to assessing how and why readers use OA publications.
How much do people around the world trust scientists? via The Conversation | 5-minute read
Most people have a relatively high trust in scientists, according to a global survey of nearly 72 000 people across 68 countries. The survey – distributed between November 2022 and August 2023 – also showed that 83% of respondents believe scientists should communicate about science with the general public and that 52% believe scientists should be more involved in policymaking. In this article, Mathew Marques (Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology at La Trobe University), Niels Mede (Senior Research and Teaching Associate at the University of Zurich), Viktoria Cologna (Postdoctoral Researcher at Collegium Helveticum) and Zoe Leviston (Research Fellow at the Australian National University) explore the results of their survey, which was published in Nature Human Behaviour in January.
To engage with:
Open research webinar via Taylor & Francis
Interested in making your research more open but not sure where to start? Join Matt Cannon (Head of Open Research at Taylor & Francis) and Rebecca Taylor-Grant (Head of Open Data Initiatives at Taylor & Francis) at this webinar on Wednesday 26 February to discuss the core tenets of open research and to explore how you can make your research more open.
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