Is something rotten in the world of academic publishing? Yes, if you read a blockbuster piece in the latest issue of Science magazine showing how many open–access journals have little or no quality control, and apparently put hard cash (in the shape of author contributor fees) before time–honored quality control procedures. Impersonating a fictitious biologist named Ocorrafoo M. L. Cobange, the "gonzo scientist" John Bohannon created an erroneous paper reporting on the anti–cancer properties of a certain lichen. He submitted the work to 304 scientific publications that use an open–access model, which means they don't rely on paywalls and reader subscriptions that had been traditional in the academic publishing industry. More than half of the journals (157) accepted the egregiously flawed paper, often without asking for changes. For example, the Journal of International Medical Research, published by Sage, sent an immediate acceptance letter along with an invoice for $3,100. Bohannon says his "sting" calls into question the open–access movement, which has grown in response to the high cost, and perceived elitism, of traditional journal publishing:Read Full Story Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The eagerly-awaited Sieghart Review on the public library service will argue for a dedicated task force involving "all key players working together" to deliver changes at "a fast pace", a panel member has revealed. Public policy consultant Sue Charteris, talking at the Speak Up for Libraries... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you have grown tired of hardback and paperback books, then a Kindle may be your answer. Coincidentally, Amazon has released two new models, a standard and the Voyage, which my colleague Brian Fagioli reviewed recently. These complement the existing Paperwhite, which has not yet been updated.... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Man Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan and distinguished novelists Haruki Murakami and Michael Cunningham are among the authors whose books are in contention for the 22nd Bad Sex in Fiction Award. The prize awards the “most egregious passage of sexual description in a work of fiction”, and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers of spiritual or religious gift books face unique challenges in a complicated business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Buddhist poet Gary Snyder in conversation; Eben Alexander returns to the subject of heaven. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Excitement is building in the national press about a new book which uses a manuscript from the British Library as the basis for claims that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had two children with her. The Lost Gospel by Simcha Jacobovici and Barrie Wilson will be released on Wednesday (12th... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A story about three animals in a hot air balloon has won The Big Idea Competition, which launched earlier this year to find multi-platform story ideas. The competition was announced in June by Chicken House publisher and m.d. Barry Cunningham and agent Neil Blair. The pair wanted to find... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kathy Stinson and Dušan Petričić's book 'The Man with the Violin' has won the C$30,000 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Hero 6 was created when Marvel's top brass was focused on X-Men. A decade later, Disney is bringing it back to life.When it was announced last year that the first-ever Marvel property that Disney Animation was going to tackle as a feature film was Big Hero 6, there was collective... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some of the most widely used messaging apps in the world, including Google Hangouts, Facebook chat, Yahoo Messenger and Snapchat, flunked a best-practices security test by advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).The organization evaluated 39 messaging products based on seven... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you love animated cartoons and social media, FlickerLab, an animation and app developer, may have developed the perfect messaging software for you. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Al Jazeera America has released Terms of Service, an online graphic novel that is the part of the network’s strategy of tapping into new forms of storytelling. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A supermarket turned tablet maker doesn't sound like the wisest of career progressions. Tesco's not your average supermarket, though. When you consider the Tesco machine also operates video- and music-streaming services, an ebook store and an online... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It seems like everyone has a tablet or phablet nowadays. These devices are wonderful as they let you do many things, like listening to music, surfing the web and reading. Yes, you can read a book on an iPad, Nexus 7 or Galaxy Note, but you shouldn't -- your eyes do not want you to. You see,... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Samsung and Barnes & Noble unveiled a new 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK yesterday. Early word from the tech press on the $300 tablet was mixed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A starred review for Rob and Kristen Bell's new book on marriage; the best examination to date of Pope Francis, who he is, and what to expect. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Halpern's upcoming book on rogue debt collecting is earning praise for bringing 'unexpected literary heft' to the topic and writing a 'colorful and chilling' story. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the Frankfurt Book Fair's CONTEC conference, Viktor Mayer-Schönberger spoke about how big data can revolutionize publishers' products, services and insights. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On the eve of the 2014 Frankfurt Book Fair, Ed Nawotka wonders if publishers, booksellers, and authors need to closely examine their relationships with each other. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lerner Publisher Services has added Australian publisher Big & Small to its client list; Manchester University Press will be distributed by Oxford University Press USA in North and South America and Canada. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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