Academic publishing and scholarly

communications: Good reads, December

2015

December has been an eventful month, and our team of editors had many interesting news items to sift
from. Needless to say, the historic climate summit in Paris was the highlight of the month. There were
other developments on the scholarly publishing scene as well, related to open data, data management
of libraries, and career choices of PhDs. Here are some snippets from the most interesting goings-on in
research and academic publishing this month:
Climate summit: Arguably, climate change is one of the hottest topics of discussion in the scientific and
political worlds. At the 2015 climate summit held on 12 December in Paris, representatives from 195
countries came together to approve a landmark plan to combat climate change. If adopted globally, the
agreement will result in a major global and political push for curbing the rapid rate of global warming.
Open data accord: Four international science organisations - the International Council for Science, the
InterAcademy Partnership, the International Social Science Council and the World Academy of Sciences launched a joint accord supporting open access to big data, which is increasingly becoming the basis of
research and policymaking. The initiative was announced on 9 December in Pretoria during the first
Science Forum South Africa, and aims at making it easier for developing countries to participate in
research on a global level.
Libraries and their data: Libraries are central to the research system. But how are libraries ensuring the
integrity and inclusiveness of data flows that are managed by the institution? Seeta Pea Gangadharan
talks about digital inclusion as a possible solution to maintaining the integrity of the data that a library
provides and manages as well as to strengthening the role of the library as an integral part of scientific
research and publishing.
Career problems of PhDs: Although the number of PhD holders is growing, there aren't enough jobs
within and outside of academia to absorb them all. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Survey of Doctorate Recipients, although unemployment rate of doctorates in science, engineering, or
health in the United States is very low (2.1% in 2013), the chances of getting a job in academia are slim.
Over 50% of employed doctorate holders took up jobs outside academia for which they felt unprepared.
The editorial in Nature highlights how the new PhDs are in no position to make informed decisions
about their future and proposes solutions to tackle the issue.

Tradition over innovation in choice of research topics: Andrey Rzhetsky, Jacob Foster, and James Evans
highlight the perils of the pu lish or perish ulture of a ade ia i the paper "Tradition and Innovation
i S ie tists esear h Strategies." They point out that of the 6.4 million scholarly publications in
biomedicine and chemistry from 1934 to 2008, 60% publications built on existing knowledge rather than
making new connections. Researchers find it safer to pursue work in established areas as it ensures
publication, rather than pursuing innovative research questions that are considered risky prospects as
there are more hurdles on the path to publication.
New species of animals discovered: Would t it e i teresti g to read so e of the ost striki g a i al
stories of 2015? This post lists newly discovered species of vampire crabs, the intriguing frogs, the
mysterious oarfish, a three-tailed lizard, and a necrophile tegu. The images are a delight to view and are
sure to spike an interest in nature and wildlife.
For regular updates on important happenings in the journal publishing industry, watch our Industry
News section.