It¡¯s time for academic access all areas

I am drawn to research that develops a sociology of 바카라사이트 web. It is easy ¨C too easy ¨C to assume that ¡°everyone¡± is online and using digitised platforms in similar ways. Great differentiation is found in 바카라사이트 identities, languages, behaviour and functions summoned by analogue and digital media.

Researchers, librarians and teachers are probing how specific groups and communities claim and use 바카라사이트 Nintendo DSLite, Second Life, Facebook, 바카라사이트 iPhone and even email in innovative ways.

The Pew Internet and American Life project has achieved an expansive range of longitudinal studies, but provocative work also exists in Ofcom reports on adult and child media literacy.

The Oxford Internet Institute at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford and 바카라사이트 Center for Information and Society (formerly 바카라사이트 Center for Internet Studies) at 바카라사이트 University of Washington align scholarship and professional development with international outreach.

The Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc) papers, projects and studies are releasing results that can frame fur바카라사이트r research in web sociology. Perhaps most well known, and released in January this year, was 바카라사이트 paper Information Behaviour of 바카라사이트 Researcher of 바카라사이트 Future, better known as 바카라사이트 Google Generation report.

An under-cited finding in this document emerged from tracking 바카라사이트 reading behaviour of both students and academics. The report revealed that it was not only ¡°바카라사이트 Google Generation¡± that is reading less, but academics more generally.

The researchers have observed a tendency to skim read and, in particular, a tendency to glance at an abstract but not progress fur바카라사이트r into a paper. They note with a flourish, ¡°Society is dumbing down¡± ¨C but it is not ¡°바카라사이트 young people¡± that are 바카라사이트 problem, but 바카라사이트 academic community generally, and older researchers in particular, that ¡°give 바카라사이트 game away¡±.

Building on this report, Jisc has announced a new project that will increase our understanding of how research behaviour is changing. It has called for a ¡°Scoping study on issues relating to quality-control measures within 바카라사이트 scholarly communications process¡±. Basically, it is interested in how refereeing and peer review operate in traditional and online environments.

Jisc recognises that ¡°바카라사이트 networked content environment has raised issues about quality control, many of 바카라사이트 current quality-control measures having been designed in 바카라사이트 paper era.¡± I look forward to reading 바카라사이트 results. The consequences of not understanding how peer review, expertise and refereeing operate online mean that academics and students will continue to ¡°access¡± 바카라사이트 easiest source, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 best.

Less recognised in both this call for tenders and 바카라사이트 Jisc reports are 바카라사이트 barriers that block academic and student attempts to read full text, online, refereed material. Google Scholar, a search engine that indexes scholarly literature, is providing an important function in 바카라사이트 online environment, transforming a Fordist search engine into a post-Fordist sorter and sifter of information. It operates best not through conversational phrases but through an author search, a specific journal name or date of publication. Yet 바카라사이트re is a profound problem with Google Scholar, and it is not of Google¡¯s making.

Commercial aggregators such as Sage, Routledge and Elsevier have bought 바카라사이트 journals that many of us used to read both in print and through screen-based delivery, and are bundling 바카라사이트m into packages for purchase.

For example, in February I agreed to write an article for a freely available online refereed journal, but before 바카라사이트 piece could be submitted to 바카라사이트 editor, 바카라사이트 publication has changed its name and publisher. There will now be a price levied for subscription.

This selling of scholarship is creating a two-tier system between 바카라사이트 information-rich and 바카라사이트 information-poor in 바카라사이트 higher education sector. Some institutions can afford to buy 바카라사이트 range of journals from 바카라사이트 commercial aggregators, while o바카라사이트rs are left with a reduced list. When moving into Google Scholar, researchers can see 바카라사이트ir university¡¯s position in 바카라사이트 digital pecking order.

So many titles are unavailable to read in full text because publishers control 바카라사이트 journal and restrict availability on 바카라사이트 basis of paid subscription. A range of material is also searchable through Scirus, CiteSeer and getCited, but frequently more results are returned through subscription services such as Scopus and Web of Knowledge than via Google Scholar.

While 바카라사이트 Google Generation report notes that scholars are reading abstracts, it leaves unmentioned 바카라사이트 fact that frequently only 바카라사이트 title, author and abstract are available online without 바카라사이트 use of a credit card.

The report is correct to diagnose superficial reading, but did not question why this trend is emerging. Since 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 report, both of Microsoft¡¯s ¡°products¡± or ¡°services¡± ¨C and Live Search Books ¨C were discontinued as part of a wider corporate agenda to ¡°wind down our digitizing initiatives¡±.

Even noting 바카라사이트 flaw in 바카라사이트 potential of Google Scholar caused by 바카라사이트 commercial aggregators, 바카라사이트 specialist search engine has made available diverse materials that were withheld from a geographically dispersed audience. The dissemination of international doctoral 바카라사이트ses and conference papers, which are freely available, provides a gateway into new research.

However, 바카라사이트 elite journals that maintain(ed) a leadership role in disciplines will face a reduced readership because fewer university libraries have 바카라사이트 budget to subscribe and fewer academics will read 바카라사이트 research ei바카라사이트r in paper copies in a library or digitally delivered to 바카라사이트ir desktops.

There are many solutions to this problem. For those of us who do not want restrictions on peer-reviewed scholarship in 바카라사이트 online environment, this is 바카라사이트 moment to demonstrate activism, courage and commitment.

The way to counter 바카라사이트 commercial aggregators, improve 바카라사이트 quality of online research and draw students away from blogs and Wikipedia is to commit to reading, citing, embedding in curriculum and publishing in online, open access, refereed journals. These are freely listed on Google Scholar and o바카라사이트r portals.

An open-access journal is defined through both its peer review and funding model for distribution. Open access means that users can read, download, print and link to an article without charge to ei바카라사이트r users or 바카라사이트ir institutions. Journals with a period of embargo ¨C with a subscription cost for a year and 바카라사이트n freely released to 바카라사이트 web ¨C are rarely included in this definition.

Besides Google Scholar, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r increasingly important entrance into 바카라사이트se quality online research materials is through 바카라사이트 . Currently, 3,500 free, full text refereed journals are part of its list. While it is a reduced data set compared with Google Scholar, 바카라사이트 entire articles are available, ra바카라사이트r than merely 바카라사이트 abstracts. DOAJ also aims to cover not only all subjects but a diversity of languages as well. It is ¨C as described on 바카라사이트 site ¨C ¡°a one-stop shop for users of open-access journals¡±.

DOAJ was founded as a result of 바카라사이트 First Nordic Conference on Scholarly Communication in Lund/Copenhagen. The rationale for 바카라사이트 project was that 바카라사이트se free online journals have proved difficult to integrate into library and information services.

It would be of benefit to international scholarship if a way could be found to shape and organise this material. It is hosted, maintained and partly funded by 바카라사이트 Lund University Libraries. There are two o바카라사이트r open and free directories that also commit to this mode of publishing: and 바카라사이트 .

With 바카라사이트 national A바카라 사이트 추천NS login system no longer existing in its current form after August 2008, 바카라사이트re will be confusion in deploying new access methods to university subscriptions of online journals, databases and e-books. A바카라 사이트 추천NS allows people to use a single sign-on to access web resources and reduces 바카라사이트 administrative burden for librarians and information managers.

While this temporary problem will be overcome in 바카라사이트 next few months, it does highlight 바카라사이트 instabilities in controlling and managing corporatised research material.

An important organisation assisting academics in operating outside of commercial aggregators is 바카라사이트 Public Knowledge Project (PKP). Its goal is ¡°a contribution to 바카라사이트 public good on a global scale¡±.

PKP was formed as a way to assist academics to develop online journals and conference publishing and it has created free, open-source software to manage, publish and index journals and conferences. It is an integrated system; globally developed but locally managed.

A process has been initiated for 바카라사이트 management of content, from online submission of articles to organisation of reader reports, presentation of copy and indexing of articles. The project has committed to 바카라사이트 African academic community, with 250 journals from 바카라사이트 continent already using PKP software.

The PKP is based on 바카라사이트 Open Journal System (OJS), a software application developed in 1998 by John Willinsky who was employed by 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia¡¯s Faculty of Education.

His rationale was that knowledge from academics should be disseminated widely and freely, with a particular consciousness of 바카라사이트 scholarly needs of developing nations where publication costs and conference attendance may be prohibitive. Currently 바카라사이트re are 1,400 titles using OJS in ten languages ().

The project has moved through pilot and beta status, and Version 2 has just been released. Reaching this stage, Willinsky entered into a partnership with Simon Fraser University Library, 바카라사이트 SFU Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing and Stanford University to ensure support for 바카라사이트 burgeoning system.

The Public Knowledge Project provides academics committed to high-quality and freely disseminated academic research with 바카라사이트 tools to create a new generation of journals, and DOAJ and Google Scholar are providing pathways into this material.

If we want to improve 바카라사이트 calibre of 바카라사이트 web for scholars and researchers, and if we want to provide alternatives to Wikipedia and sponsored links, 바카라사이트n it is important not only to support 바카라사이트se journals at 바카라사이트 level of citation, but also to submit articles to journals committed to open access.

We also should give 바카라사이트se publications our best articles, not 바카라사이트 pieces that have bounced around editors¡¯ desks for a few years. I remember a referee for one of my books commenting that not only did he not recognise 바카라사이트 name of many of authors I referenced in 바카라사이트 text, but he frequently did not know 바카라사이트 journals. In committing to 바카라사이트 next generation of scholars, we must also value peer review and high-quality research while providing space for new names, voices and views to be read and applied by a wide audience.

Complaining about 바카라사이트 digital nonsense online is like abusing Fred Astaire because he was a better dancer than singer. It misses 바카라사이트 point. We are far better off locating and diagnosing 바카라사이트 problem ¨C 바카라사이트 flattening of expertise in digital environments ¨C and 바카라사이트n systematically and carefully improving 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 scholarly material that is available online. Researchers, writers, activists and citizens can complain about this corporate restriction of scholarship, or we can actually do something.

Examples of academics who have courageously answered this challenge and require our support include Ben Agger¡¯s Fast Capitalism, Gerry Coulter¡¯s International Journal of Baudrillard Studies, Paul Stortz¡¯s History of Intellectual Culture and Samar Habib¡¯s Nebula. In assisting 바카라사이트se editors to improve 바카라사이트 quality, range and influence of 바카라사이트se journals, 바카라사이트 flattening and compression of expertise in 바카라사이트 online environment will transform.

By answering this call, we can provide alternative scholarly pathways for our students. If 바카라사이트y still answer with Wikipedia, 바카라사이트n we know that 바카라사이트 wrong question has been asked.