Menu Close

Articles on Academic journals

Displaying 41 - 60 of 64 articles

There is amazing research and knowledge coming out of Africa – you just need to know where to look. Shutterstock

Here’s one way to recover and protect Africa’s ‘lost science’

African research is largely invisible, kept in the shadows by publishing barriers and structural obstacles. A platform built in Brazil and rolled out across the developing world could be the solution.
There are sharks in the research water – predatory journals are becoming more common in Africa. Shutterstock

African academics are being caught in the predatory journal trap

African academics and universities have been caught in the predatory journal web. It’s time for the continent’s universities to start taking this threat to their integrity seriously.
A majority of academic research is still locked away from public eyes. Shutterstock

The battle for open access is far from over

We have the technology and the will to expand open access to publicly funded research, but large vested interests are still putting up stiff resistance.
Somali university students celebrate their graduation. Universities that fare well on national measures may be ignored by international ranking systems. Feisal Omar/Reuters

Ranking African universities is a futile endeavour

The news that African universities will soon be ranked has generated a great deal of hype. But the initiative seems likely to be doomed from the start.
Pay wall or no pay wall? Students study at the Humboldt University Library in Berlin, one of the most advanced scientific libraries in Germany. Shutterstock

Open access is not free. Someone is doing the work. Someone is paying

Much of what’s being said in support of open access publishing misses one key point: that is there is always a value chain and costs are incurred. Someone somewhere is paying for open access.
Journal publishing is changing at a breakneck pace. Loughborough University Library

Hard Evidence: is open access working?

According to Peter Suber open access is academic literature which is “digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions”. Open access delivered by journals is called…
Publishing a peer-reviewed paper isn’t easy, but new research confirms it’s worth the fight. Cartoon by Nick Kim, Massey University, Wellington

Predicting who will publish or perish as career academics

It doesn’t matter whether or not you think it’s fair: if you’re an academic, your publishing record will have a crucial impact on your career. It can profoundly affect your prospects for employment, for…
It’s time to move past outdated ideas about porn. hansol

Academia needs a porn journal: here’s why

The launch of a new academic journal doesn’t usually grab popular media interest. But the first journal of Porn Studies seems to have bucked the trend. For the most part, media coverage has contained more…
It’s time to let the journal impact factor die. Ben McLeod

Do not resuscitate: the journal impact factor declared dead

Science is a highly competitive business so measuring the impact of scientific research, meaningfully and objectively, is essential. The journal impact factor (JIF) has emerged over the past few decades…
It’s easy to put open-access publishing on a pedestal, but it’s important to consider the ramifications first. smileham

Open-access science: be careful what you wish for

In recent weeks we’ve seen a renewed push to introduce open access to science research publications. The concept is simple: research that is paid for by public funds should be made freely available, not…
Open-access journals are gaining credibility and prestige. rvm_71

Open access will change the world, if scientists want it to

While the Australian Research Council considers its policy on open-access publication and others within the scientific community call for the increased sharing of scientific data, the British are already…
The pressure on academics is becoming too much, there needs to be cultural change. Stressed image from www.shutterstock.com

Cracks in the ivory tower: is academia’s culture sustainable?

The pressure is on. More and more universities and academics are working in a culture that is untenable and cracks in the ivory tower have already begun to appear. The work environment is now characterised…

Top contributors

More