Thoughts about altmetrics (an unorganized, overdue post)
I haven’t written about altmetrics so far. Not because it’s not a worthwhile subject, but because there’s so much I don’t know where to begin.
Information Culture
Thoughts and analysis related to science information, data, publication and culture.
Famous people like libraries and librarians!
It's nice when people say nice things about you. It's especially nice when, in the midst of budget cuts and job losses and questions about your relevance, famous people make poetic defenses of the job you love.Earlier this week, well known author, journalist and activist Cory Doctorow reminded us of an eloquent defense of libraries and librarians made by British author Neil Gaiman in a 2010 interview.
Starting a conversation about data
Data - Big or small - is a hot topic in higher education and in academic libraries. Scientists and scholars are collecting, analyzing and sharing increasing amounts of data.
Textbooks and open educational resources
I've spent some time on this blog talking about how scientists communicate with each other - largely through scientific journal articles in scholarly journals.
Do blog posts correlate with a higher number of future citations?
Do blog posts correlate with a higher number of future citations? In many cases, yes, at least for Researchblogging.org (RB). Judit Bar-Ilan, Mike Thelwall and I already used RB, a science blogging aggregator for posts citing peer-reviewed research, in our previous article.
Pragmatism, Idealism and DeepDyve's Five Minutes in Heaven
If it is possible, I consider myself to be both an idealist and a pragmatist with regard to scholarly publishing.On the idealist side, I view scientific publishing as a natural extension of the necessity of sharing scientific results with others.
It's not about predators, it's about journal quality
In the past, a journal title that was unfamiliar to a researcher would be an automatic red-flag for journal quality - if I haven't heard of it, it must not be very good.
Elite journals: to hell in a handbasket?
Once upon a time, journals were made of paper and ink. However, we left the dark ages of dead woods behind us and moved forward to an age in which authors don’t need to publish in journals (but still want to).
Database creators take note: have URLs that work
I am tired of explaining to students that the URL for a database entry they copied and pasted from their browser won't work. CC-BY-SA image courtesy of Flickr user Takeshi Life Goes On Here is the problem: A student searches for high quality content in a database that the library pays a lot of money for.
The Leiden University Ranking
The new Leiden Ranking (LR) has just been published, and I would like to talk a bit about its indicators, what it represents and equally important - what it doesn’t represent.
Blog Index
@ScientificAmerican
STAFFBehind the scenes at Scientific American
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Anecdotes from the Archive
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Anthropology in Practice
Exploring the human condition.
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Beautiful Minds
Insights into intelligence, creativity, personality, and well-being
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Budding Scientist
Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
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Cross-Check
Critical views of science in the news
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Dark Star Diaries
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Dog Spies
Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
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Expeditions
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Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
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Frontiers for Young Minds
Science by and for kids ages 8-15
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Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
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Hot Planet
Climate science in a changing world
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Illusion Chasers
Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
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Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
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MIND Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American Mind
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Not bad science
New discoveries in animal behavior and cognition
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Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from guest experts and from the editors of Scientific American
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Plugged In
More than wires - exploring the connections between energy, environment, and our lives
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Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
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Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
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SA Visual
STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
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Talking back
STAFFA science blog, sans blague
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Tetrapod Zoology
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals - living and extinct
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The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
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