We challenge you to reuse Additional Files (a.k.a. Supplementary Information)
Almost eight years ago, BMC made a bold move: data in articles and supplementary information would from then on be available with a CCZero license/waiver. SpringerOpen followed with a less stringent policy and later Springer Nature started a collaboration with Figshare to archive data there.
Journal of Cheminformatics is one of the journals that make Additional Files available via Figshare. In the past year, this additional content has been viewed more than ten thousand times and resulted in more than 1700 downloads. These numbers are promising. After all, we value data in our publications and want others to use it. That r...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - November 1, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Egon Willighagen Tags: Open Access Publishing cheminformatics chemistry journal of cheminformatics Source Type: blogs
Martin Jones talks citizen science ahead of SpotOn 18
One of Robert Hooke’s meticulous sketches of fleasWikimedia Commons
Observation is a key part of the scientific process. For many years significant effort was required to capture single scientific images, from meticulously hand-drawn views through a microscope (e.g. Robert Hooke’s sketches of fleas), through to photographic plates used in astronomy. These methods were all rather slow, allowing the scientists ample time to analyze and interpret each individual image.
However, with the advent of modern imaging systems that incorporate fast digital cameras and detectors, precision motion control and access to vast storage...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 31, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Martin Jones Tags: Technology citizen science SpotOn SpotOn18 Source Type: blogs
BMC Mechanical Engineering is now open for submissions!
BMC Mechanical Engineering officially opened for submissions in September 2018 and is the fourth journal in the BMC series family of journals that serves communities beyond biology and medicine. The ethos of BMC Mechanical Engineering is to be open and inclusive, submissions are rigorously peer reviewed to assess scientific validity and published articles become freely available immediately to all readers, irrespective of their affiliation or location.
© kadmy / Getty Images / iStock
2018 has been named the “Year of Engineering” by the UK government, an initiative that has seen wide support by hundreds of national an...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 26, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Alexandros Houssein Tags: Open Access Publishing Technology BMC Mechanical Engineering BMC Series Source Type: blogs
‘Research in progress’ report 2018
Over the past year at BMC, we’ve been working as hard as ever to improve our publishing services, continually innovating to meet the needs of our authors and the wider research community.
We’re delighted to be piloting a new initiative to encourage more transparency in the submission and peer review process, something we have long championed at BMC.
Our portfolio has grown since our last report, and we’re delighted to be welcoming new journals to the BMC family. As part of our mission to expand beyond biomedicine into the physical and applied sciences, we’ll be launching a series of journals in these fields over th...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 22, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Rachel Burley Tags: Open Access Publishing Open Access Week 2018 Research in progress Source Type: blogs
BMC ‘Research in progress’ photo competition – 4 weeks to go!
The overall winner will receive a cash prize of €550 (~£490/$645), while the runner-up will receive €350 (~£310/$410). The prize-winning images will be featured on the BMC blog, BMC website and in our promotional materials.
Your image should be related to research and can be focused on any area of your work, and from any discipline including physical sciences, mathematics and engineering. Anyone with an interest in research can enter, from anywhere in the world. We’re looking for bright, modern and inspiring photographs that reflect innovation, curiosity and integrity.
The winning entries will be chosen by a panel...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 19, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Davy Falkner Tags: Open Access Publishing Research in progress photo competition Source Type: blogs
In Review: a new way to open up the submissions and peer review process
A manuscript is much more than words on paper. Painstakingly drafted, fuelled by coffee over long nights, then (constructively) dismantled by colleagues, re-drafted several times, and finally, assembled into something you’re proud of. It is the culmination of months or years of hard work, and could potentially lead to recognition for you and your whole team.
It seems incongruous that once you press the ‘submit to journal’ button, your article disappears into a publishing process that can be opaque, and hard for even the most experienced researchers to navigate. And the first time you receive feedback on your manuscri...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 18, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Amye Kenall Tags: Open Access Publishing Technology BMC Anesthesiology BMC Neurology BMC Ophthalmology In Review Trials Source Type: blogs
Springer Nature launches Open data badges pilot
Motivating authors to share their data
Researchers say that receiving more credit and recognition for their work motivates them to share their research data, and badges for open science have been shown to increase data sharing by authors in some journals. Springer Nature has recently launched a pilot to see if, after in-house editorial assessment, awarding qualifying articles open data badges will:
Affect levels of data sharing by authors
Affect reader engagement with articles and their supporting data, and perceptions of article quality
Help us understand the benefits and costs of consistently assessing and awarding open...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 8, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Rebecca Pearce Tags: Open Access Publishing BMC Microbiology Data Support Services open data open science Springer Nature Source Type: blogs
What makes a STEM teacher? Developing identities of STEM teachers at emerging STEM schools
Identities are evolving
The ever-changing education policies, approaches, students’ behavior and community aspirations regarding teaching and teachers have caused a perpetual change in teacher identity. One of these current movements is the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Teachers working in STEM schools have to grapple with the different orientation, tasks, and requirements in and out of school to facilitate students’ learning in a STEM setting. Coping with this approach to teaching and learning has created a need for teachers with a different mindset and characteristics. This is re...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 5, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Mohamed El Nagdi Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Discoverability of open access books: How do we ensure that your research has the widest possible reach?
Why is discoverability an important topic?
It is important to us, our authors and our readers that open access (OA) books are easily findable, discoverable and visible. This means that OA books need to be easily found through search engines and on our own websites – whether looking for a specific title, or through related keyword searches – and that all OA content needs to be clearly marked as such so that readers know it is free to download and re-use.
One of the main motivations for authors and funders choosing OA for their research is to have as wide a readership as possible. Eighty-six percent of attendees at our 2...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - October 3, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: Christina Emery Tags: Open Access Publishing Source Type: blogs
