2015, Page 8

Many of us grew up with digital gadgets and abundant sources of information. To be a little crude, aren’t we digital spoilt brats? Should we put an end to this ‘free for all’ culture? Online pay-walls has been on the rise lately, with prices tagged on scientific research papers, music and etc. Creators wants their creation to be protected and valued. Mark Helprin, the writer of “A Great Idea Lives Forever. Continue reading →

“Hiding your research behind a paywall is immoral…If you are a scientist, your job is to bring new knowledge into the world. And if you bring new knowledge into the world, it’s immoral to hide it. I heartily wish I’d never done it, and I won’t do it again,” (Taylor, 2013). Source Doesn’t this look familiar? Sourcing for articles online to support an argument in a research paper is familiar for many individuals, especially students. Continue reading →

(Image from: Online Learning Tips) This topic requires us to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of offering free accessible content in the eyes of a content producer. However, I’m pretty sure most of us interpreted the question as: Should online content be free, or not? It is in the nature of this topic to spur discussions on price and could easily be the sole focus. But I believe ‘online content’ goes deeper than monetary talks. Continue reading →

As students, we’re all used to searching for information online when we need help. Imagine having to pay for everything we have to research on! “Pile on too many fees for content, and customers disappear and ad revenue declines. Give away too much, and you could miss out on subscriber revenue.” – Ann Arbor Different authors might have different reasons for either imposing a fee or publishing it freely. Continue reading →

Imagine doing your final year dissertation and you found a very informative journal but the only way of accessing it is by paying a price. What will you do? For me, I will definitely sacrifice my money to achieve better grades. But is there a better way towards this issue? One answer is Open Access! (Credits: openaccessbutton. Continue reading →

Source: EbenGregory Ever tried accessing information online for a school project but being required to pay a fee to view it? Yup, that’s me! In my perspective, why would I spend a hefty sum of money just to have full access to a particular literature? In the perspective of the content producer, why would he/she allow free access to the hard work of his/her research without earning? Here’s a video to explain further about online access to information: Source: Youtube The question... Continue reading →

Source: Giphy.com . . . – Sincerely, a student… – The pains of a student: Sourcing for information only to find out you need to pay for it. Buying the resource and finding out that it doesn’t contain the information you need.[1] Source: nature.com If open access(OA) was available, people would have access to information that could literally improve their lives. Continue reading →

Resource from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2HMouOV-Lg Resource from: http://chronicle.com/article/What-a-Mass-Exodus-at-a/234066 The shift towards open access Newsflash: Just barely 2 weeks ago, Lingua, a prominent linguistics journal lost a total of 37 editorial employees via resignation due to a disagreement over changing their business model to be a fully open access publication with the journal’s publisher, Elsevier. Continue reading →

Resource from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2HMouOV-Lg Resource from: http://chronicle.com/article/What-a-Mass-Exodus-at-a/234066 The shift towards open access Newsflash: Just barely 2 weeks ago, Lingua, a prominent linguistics journal lost a total of 37 editorial employees via resignation due to a disagreement over changing their business model to be a fully open access publication with the journal’s publisher, Elsevier. Continue reading →

Open Access literature is digital, online, free-of-charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. –Peter Suber This translates to online material being shared worldwide without expectation of payment and redistribution is allowed. It’s hard to imagine a digital world without OA (Open Access) today. Most search engines lead you to free scholarly materials under a second. Continue reading →