The act of writing and how it contributes to and shapes the practice of communicating research is a rich topic for consideration for scholars at every stage of the research process. Here the Impact of Social Sciences team have pulled together three reflections on writing that explore many aspects often taken-for-granted. Should thinking and writing be intentionally disconnected from each […]
Category: Featured
The internationalisation of academic publishing points to distinctly different audiences for scholarly books.
The importance of book publications in the Social Sciences and Humanities may be widely accepted, but what is the evidence of their impact? Frederik Verleysen and Tim Engels discuss the ways in which specific publications can have broad societal impact by catering to different audiences. Their recent study on the internationalisation of scholarly book publishing points to the broad spectrum of scholarly […]
The only way to make inflated journal subscriptions unsustainable: Mandate Green Open Access.
In light of further data provided by Tim Gowers on unsustainable costs of journal subscriptions for academic libraries and stretched university budgets, Stevan Harnad finds that plans for universities to fund open access alternatives will also be a burden as 80% of journals are still subscription-based. What is needed now is for universities and funders to develop mutually reinforcing self-archiving policies, like […]
Book Review: Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, Third Edition, by Keith F Punch
In Introduction to Social Research, Keith F. Punch wants to ‘demystify’ and ‘simplify’ the research process, in an attempt to show that quality research can always be achieved. With its straightforward language, an intuitive structure, and well-defined learning objectives, this book does just that, finds Sophie Lecheler. This third edition features a number of interesting updates, such as chapters on research ethics and conducting […]
Impact Round-Up 26th April: The cost of journal subscriptions, writing for impact, and the Journal Openness Index.
Managing Editor Sierra Williams presents a round-up of popular stories from around the web on higher education, academic impact, and trends in scholarly communication. Open access advocate and Cambridge mathematician Tim Gowers has been pulling together information on Elsevier journal subscription costs in an effort to provide a bigger picture of what the current scholarly communication system is costing university libraries (previously […]
In Morocco and abroad, universities are more than just a financial investment, they can instil collective belonging.
In Morocco, high unemployment rates among university graduates, the expansion of private vocational schools, and weak political support for public universities have all affected the university’s role in shaping the wider collective good. Shana Cohen outlines how the current policy situation is limiting the nature of academic impact in Morocco. The more complex, but perhaps more important, issue for institutional […]
Understanding the value and impact of digital assets in research centres requires consistent methods.
A report looking into the value and impact of data sharing and curation in research data centres found that the value of the access that users have to the data is more than double the sum of money invested in the centres. Neil Grindley finds that this is obviously useful and good news for the data centres, but it is also […]
Are 90% of academic papers really never cited? Reviewing the literature on academic citations.
It is widely accepted that academic papers are rarely cited or even read. But what kind of data lies behind these assertions? Dahlia Remler takes a look at the academic research on citation practices and finds that whilst it is clear citation rates are low, much confusion remains over precise figures and methods for determining accurate citation analysis. In her […]
Geographies of knowledge: practical ways to boost the visibility of research undertaken and published in the South.
Jonathan Harle and Sioux Cumming discuss how to strengthen research networks in developing countries. There is still a huge body of Southern research which simply never gets counted. Research that is undertaken and published in the South needs to be valued, and this will only happen when Southern universities value it in their reward and promotion systems and when research funders recognise it […]
Book Review: Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life by Howard Eiland and Michael W. Jennings
Howard Eiland and Michael W. Jennings’ book maps the life of philosopher Walter Benjamin from beginning to end, tracing the roots of his thought all the way from his early childhood to his seminal work as part of the esteemed ‘Frankfurt School’, and ultimately to his last months in Paris. The biography is very well written, featuring sparse, elegant prose – a lot […]