Mediciones del Valor de la Información Electrónica en las Bibliotecas Universitarias

O objetivo deste artigo é refletir sobre a validade das diferentes medidas de avaliação que vêm sendo utilizadas para determinar o valor do sistema de fornecimento de revistas eletrónicas e a sua rentabilidade relativamente aos mecanismos tradicionais de comunicação científica. A metodologia empregue baseia-se na análise dos principais resultados de trabalhos já elaborados que abordam os benefícios da integração de coleções de revistas eletrónicas nas bibliotecas a partir de pontos de vista distintos, mas complementares

Mediciones del valor de la información electrónica en las Bibliotecas Universitarias

p. 154-171El propósito de este artículo es reflexionar sobre la validez de las distintas métricas que se vienen utilizando para determinar el valor del sistema de suministro de revistas electrónicas y su rentabilidad con respecto a los mecanismos tradicionales de comunicación científica. La metodología empleada se fundamenta en el análisis de los principales resultados de trabajos previos que abordan los beneficios de la integración de colecciones de revistas electrónicas en las bibliotecas desde diversos pero complementarios puntos de vista.S

Periódicos Científicos da Ciência da Informação: os títulos indexados na WoS

This article studies the journals in the subject area of Information Science indexed in the Web of Science (WoS). The specific objectives are to: a) describe the publishing characteristics of information science journals indexed in the Web of Science database; b) indicate the type of access; c) identify which titles are indexed in DOAJ. The methodology is based on descriptive and exploratory research. The results identify 84 journals indexed in the Web of Science database in 2012, 9 of which are open access but, of these, only 6 are indexed in DOAJ. The predominant publishing model is that of commercial publishers with 56 titles (67% of total), and the most common frequency is quarterly. The majority (62.1%) of the journals has an impact factor of between 0 and 0.999; only 2 titles –published in the US and the Netherlands-- have an impact factor greater than 4,999. The study also reflects on the fact that Information Science is the discipline with the greatest perception on the issues of access to, and cost of, scientific journals. Likewise this area presents a representative quantity of titles from commercial publishers equivalent to that of publishers in general and there is a higher proportion of open access titles coming from Brazil.Este artículo estudia las revistas en el campo de Ciencias de la Información indexadas en la Web of Science (WoS). Los objetivos específicos son: a) describir las características editoriales de las revistas indexadas en la Web of Science (WoS). b) indicar el tipo de acceso; c) identificar qué títulos están indexados en DOAJ. El método utilizado se basea en la investigación descriptiva y exploratoria. Los resultados muestran 84 revistas indexadas en la WoS en 2012, 9 títulos de libre acceso, pero sólo 6 indexadas en DOAJ. La entidad editorial predominante son los editores comerciales, con 56 títulos (67% del total), y la publicación trimestral es la más común. La mayoría (62,1%) de las revistas tienen un factor de impacto entre 0 a 0,999 y sólo 2 títulos tienen factor de impacto superior a 4,999, y sus editores son de los Estados Unidos y de los Países Bajos. Reflexiona sobre la condición de Ciencias de la Información de ser el área de conocimiento con la percepción más evidente de la cuestión del acceso y el costo de las revistas científicas, y presentar una cantidad muy representativa de títulos de editoras comerciales, equivalente de las entidades editoriales en el escenario general, en la que los títulos de acceso abierto se deben a una condición geográfica, con una proporción mayor en Brasil. [pt] Este artigo estuda os periódicos da área da Ciência da Informação indexados na Web of Science (WoS). Os objetivos específicos são: a) descrever as características editoriais dos periódicos da Ciência da Informação indexados na base Web of Science; b) apontar o tipo de acesso; e c) identificar quais títulos estão indexados no DOAJ. A metodologia é pesquisa descritiva e exploratória. Os resultados mostram 84 periódicos indexados na base Web of Science, no ano de 2012, 9 títulos de acesso aberto, estando apenas 6 indexados no DOAJ. O tipo de entidade editorial predominante são as editoras comerciais, com 56 títulos (67% do total), e a periodicidade trimestral é a que fica em evidência. A maioria (62,1%) dos periódicos possui fator de impacto entre 0 a 0,999; apenas 2 títulos apresentam fator de impacto acima de 4,999, e seus editores são dos Estados Unidos e da Holanda. Reflete ainda sobre a condição da Ciência da Informação ser a área do conhecimento com a percepção mais evidente da questão do acesso e dos custos de periódicos científicos e apresentar uma quantidade muito significativa de títulos de editoras comerciais, equivalente ao cenário geral, na qual os títulos em acesso aberto se devem a uma condição geográfica, com uma proporção maior no Brasil

Information needs and habits of unaffiliated knowledge workers in the United Kingdom

The aim of this thesis is to analyse difficulties facing researchers excluded from results of mainstream academic research or corporate R&D, and offer recommendations on how they (unaffiliated knowledge workers or UKWs) can be integrated into future scientific activity. It also investigates the contextual aspect of whether science communication itself (science, technology, engineering and medicine or STEM) has become dysfunctional. This arises from claims that barriers prevent current stakeholders reaching into the professions, SMEs and citizen scientists - all parts of the UKW sector - with formal research publications. However, these barriers are now being breached through the combined effects of technological developments, social adaptation, administrative/legal changes and adoption of radical commercial/business models. This is leading to a migration from a print culture through a hybrid publications system to a fully digital environment where information needs will be met by different processes and procedures. The conclusion is that a paradigm shift is underway. The existing differences between STEM sectors - publishers, librarians, funders, intermediaries - over operational issues is preventing longer-term threats being addressed. The recommendation is that strategic delphic studies be undertaken at national and industry levels to provide alternative visions for STEM publishing, to support a smooth transition to a digital information economy. Included among these studies is the need to incorporate knowledge workers within the research system to produce a broader, healthier and more sustainable market for STEM. There is also a moral issue facing STEM - whether migration to an open, free and democratic system for creating information as a public utility, in line with Internet culture, can be reconciled with the drive to generate revenues and profits to sustain the commercial basis of the publishing industry; whether STEM in future should be liberated and made a ‘free’ utility

Expanding perspective on open science: communities, cultures and diversity in concepts and practices

Twenty-one years ago, the term ‘electronic publishing’ promised all manner of potential that the Web and network technologies could bring to scholarly communication, scientific research and technical innovation. Over the last two decades, tremendous developments have indeed taken place across all of these domains. One of the most important of these has been Open Science; perhaps the most widely discussed topic in research communications today. This book presents the proceedings of Elpub 2017, the 21st edition of the International Conference on Electronic Publishing, held in Limassol, Cyprus, in June 2017. Continuing the tradition of bringing together academics, publishers, lecturers, librarians, developers, entrepreneurs, users and all other stakeholders interested in the issues surrounding electronic publishing, this edition of the conference focuses on Open Science, and the 27 research and practitioner papers and 1 poster included here reflect the results and ideas of researchers and practitioners with diverse backgrounds from all around the world with regard to this important subject. Intended to generate discussion and debate on the potential and limitations of openness, the book addresses the current challenges and opportunities in the ecosystem of Open Science, and explores how to move forward in developing an inclusive system that will work for a much broader range of participants. It will be of interest to all those concerned with electronic publishing, and Open Science in particular

Some Economic Aspects of the Scholarly Journal System

This chapter examines the economic aspects of the scholarly journal publishing system, particularly the economic consequences of technology and the introduction of alternative publishing models. Topics covered include the economic costs of the scholarly journal system, with special attention given to trends that affect economics. Library economics are examined, including consortia. A section on metrics and methods used, other than costs, includes a discussion of citation analysis and impact factors, including the pros and cons of these approaches. Open access (OA) is reviewed, including the positives and negatives of author-pays, self-archiving, and repository models. Adopting a systems approach to journals means examining the functions and activities of all participants in the scholarly journal system as they relate to economic factors. Participants include researchers (as authors, peer-reviewers, editors, and readers), publishers, libraries, intermediaries (e.g., consortia), and repositories. Several years ago the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) made an award to the University of Pittsburgh to develop a retrievable database of references to the economics of scholarly journals. After entering nearly 2,000 citations the project stopped (due in part to Sally Morris’s leaving ALPSP and Don King’s leaving Pittsburgh). Further evidence of the abundance of literature on the subject is that Charles W. Bailey, Jr., publishes a periodic Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography. The current version (77) brings the total entries to over 3,620 items (Bailey, 2009). This is obviously a topic of broad interest, particularly in light of the impact of electronic publishing and internet access on authors, publishers, libraries, other intermediaries, and readers. There has been much interest in international initiatives for new publishing models including open access, either through upfront payments by authors or their representatives, or author self-archiving to subject or institutional repositories. Because of the enormity of the literature, this review focuses on economic aspects of the participants in the scholarly journal system. Emphasis is placed on actual and potential economic consequences of technology and the introduction of alternative publishing models. Obviously the references in this chapter are incomplete, but serve as an attempt to provide an entrance to the literature. Several major studies have explored the total cost of the national journal system (and its benefits) to determine the likely impact of open access and reliance on electronic-only publishing. These examine scholarly journal systems from the perspective of functions and activities performed and the participants who perform them. This approach serves as a framework for the present review. The relative costs of participants in the system have not changed much over the years or across countries. Cost (in money and people’s time) is a principal metric; different strengths and weaknesses of metrics and methods are emphasized here, however, because other metrics also have an enormous influence on participant decision, public policy, and how research is conducted. We review the cost associated with researcher activities (writing, editing, peer review, obtaining, reading, and self-archiving) because these costs dominate the overall system costs. The costs and pricing of traditional publishing are reviewed and compared with open access publishing models. Economics of libraries focuses on traditional print and electronic collection costs, use, and value, as well as the influence of consortia and licensing practices. We begin with an overview of the scholarly journal system’s components and participants