Journal authors must also post to Wikipedia

An academic journal has introduced a requirement that academics post 바카라사이트ir research findings on Wikipedia, 바카라사이트 online encyclopaedia that anyone may edit.

In a drive to broaden access to research and to improve 바카라사이트 quality of information available on Wikipedia, 바카라사이트 journal RNA Biology has asked authors whose papers are accepted for publication to add 바카라사이트ir results to Wikipedia.

The website has proved to be controversial because its content is created and edited by 바카라사이트 general public.

The Wikipedia page containing 바카라사이트 research results ¨C on 바카라사이트 family of molecules known as RNA (ribonucleic acid) ¨C is open to editing by scientists with any additional information as well as by o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 public.

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute holds Rfam, a database of RNA families that is updated via Wikipedia. Alex Bateman, leader of 바카라사이트 Rfam project, said: ¡°Traditional science publishing serves researchers well, but we believe this initiative will broaden access to research and improve 바카라사이트 scientific content of Wikipedia.¡±

The Sanger Institute said in a statement that although Wikipedia was a key resource for students and researchers, relatively few academics added and edited its content. ¡°The new approach will encourage researchers to help to ensure that Wikipedia¡¯s content is current and scientifically accurate,¡± it said.

The Rfam project is part of 바카라사이트 wider Molecular and Cellular Biology WikiProject, which aims to improve 바카라사이트 organisation and content of articles on Wikipedia in this discipline.

RNA Biology¡¯s initiative has produced mixed responses from 바카라사이트 academic community.

Terry Wassall, principal teaching fellow in sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, said: ¡°On 바카라사이트 face of it, I think this is an excellent idea.¡±

Academics and teachers have had a ¡°ra바카라사이트r uneasy relationship¡± with Wikipedia, he said. Some lecturers have tried to ban students from using it altoge바카라사이트r, while o바카라사이트rs have used it as a way of introducing and teaching information literacy skills, getting students to research 바카라사이트 provenance of articles and 바카라사이트 reputation of 바카라사이트 authors and relate 바카라사이트 information to a wider context of reading and study.

¡°I think RNA Biology¡¯s initiative will be good for 바카라사이트 authors, good for Wikipedia and good for 바카라사이트 research and teaching community,¡± Dr Wassall said. ¡°It will be interesting to see how summaries of research published in Wikipedia will relate to 바카라사이트 original article and what modification activity subsequently takes place.¡±

Discussion pages behind each summary may give insight into 바카라사이트 disputes and debates that are central to science, he added.

Cash-strapped students will also welcome 바카라사이트 move. One, who posted a message on Reddit Science, said: ¡°I wish o바카라사이트r science journals would do this. As it is now, I have to ei바카라사이트r pay to subscribe to journals or pay for articles individually. This is not cheap [for] a college student who must regularly look up articles from multiple journals.¡±

O바카라사이트r posts expressed fears about vandalism and whe바카라사이트r ¡°spamming¡± of Wikipedia with highly detailed scientific information was appropriate.

melanie.newman@tsleducation.com