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Topic 5 2017, Page 2

Topic 4: Reflection

As the final topic of ‘Living and Working on the Web’, I spent more time studying the issue of open access, especially since it’s an issue I have frequently come across when doing research for coursework assignments. From reading Ollie’s post, I was able to engage in a discussion about funding and whether or not researchers who publish their work should be responsible for paying the fee for open access, if they cannot acquire funding. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Reflection

It’s coming to the end of the module, and I feel that I’ve learnt a lot over the past weeks. This topic got me thinking from both sides of the argument, instead of focusing only on one aspect. It also got me reading around a lot more, trying to read from different perspectives that would give me different opinions, much in the same way that my peers’ blogs would too. Continue reading →

Reflection of Topic 5

(Created via Canva) This weeks blog looked at the advantages and disadvantages of having open access information which you can read here. Once researching the topic, I established the philosophy that information should be openly accessible, so that progress within fields is quickly achievable. On the other hand, it could be disputed that a shift in technology means we have to introduce paywalls in order for companies to survive, which is what myself and other bloggers discussed. Continue reading →

Topic 5- Reflection

This week I explored the notion of open access, allowing content to be viewed freely without subscription costs. When reflecting on the support of open access personally, I found that for students such as myself, the ability to easily access a plethora of research without payment is hugely beneficial to academic research. This theme was highlighted repeatedly in the blog posts of my peers also. Continue reading →

Open Access – A reflection

The fifth and final topic has proved to be extremely thought provoking which I must say came as a surprise. The main learning outcomes from this week’s comments and discussions, self-created using Canva After a comment from Ji, I explained how I felt OA (Open Access) was ethically sound, when done correctly. The discussion also solidified how OA should be a choice and not a requirement for authors. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Reflection

Having initially found Topic 5 challenging I was not only glad I could learn more about the topic from my peers, but also overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received for my contribution. For me, the biggest learning curve of Topic 5 came from a plethora of discussion with Callum. Callum’s subsequent comment on my blog allowed for a more in depth discussion in which I could learn of Callum’s troubles with unpaywall.org. Continue reading →

Topic 5 Reflection

This week’s topic really opened my eyes to a topic of conversation I was previously very unaware of; but a topic which is of great importance to myself as a student. At this stage, after interacting with other blog’s- Carolina’s and Madeleine’s I would stay my stance still remains as it were before the interaction; in that I believe content producers should make their research papers open to all. Continue reading →

Topic 5 Reflection

The end of the module is finally here and it’s fair to say I have learnt a great deal – more than I could ever have expected. As the topic explored open access, there was plenty of ground for everyone to cover. I specifically focused on open access and academia, with a little introduction to news media. However, it was great to see other blog’s like Ausaf’s and Carolina discuss open access in the music industry, highlighting Spotify as a noteworthy example. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Reflection

Having done this blogging activity five times, I’ve really learnt to consider my thought and learning processes when constructing a post/comment. I was able to consider this weeks topic on a personal level, because open access is something that benefits students massively. Taking Lisa’s advice from her topic 4 overview, I thought about how could I present this topic as clearly as possible: Image created by the author to illustrate thought process. Continue reading →

Topic 5 – Open Access?

Open access can be defined as making the products of research freely accessible and available to all (HEFCE, 2017). When I think of the internet; open access almost immediately goes hand in hand in my opinion. Using the internet comes with very few entry barriers and requires little to no understanding of all the background coding that makes it work and function.However as of recent years’ internet has become subject to subscription based services and paid to read published works. Continue reading →

Open Access publishing: The pros and cons

Open access (OA) refers to publications which are free to read, download, copy, distribute, print or search (Openaccess.nl, 2017). This relates to any paywall free publication from academic journals to entertainment (e.g. music and film streaming). Like many digital innovations, OA has its advantages and disadvantages which will be discussed in this post with particular attention on the impacts for content producers.   The Advantages Click to view slideshow. 1. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Open Access or Not?

Open access is the ‘free, immediate online availability of research articles with full re-use rights.’ (Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD Comics), 2012) Before the mid-1990s, most scientific research journals were only available on paper, however over the years, many have moved their content online. Yet, in 2013, it was estimated that 90% of online content was expected to be behind a paywall over the ensuing three years. Continue reading →

Read me, Its free!

Our world as we know it is becoming more digitalised, where access to any information we may need is available almost everywhere online. As a result, much of the online content we come across is of open access which Suber (2015) describes as ‘digital, online, free of charge and free from almost all copyright and licensing restrictions’. What are content producers? Content producers typically oversee the making of content for websites and other online properties. Continue reading →

Availability to all – Open access

I would like to start off this week’s blog by defining open access and comparing its advantages and disadvantages. http://www.powtoon.com/embed/ekieo8m537I/ As a student, I am obviously biased towards the idea of open access. This is because I don’t want to pay for information and it would benefit myself and my peers. However, there are two sides to every story of which I am going to weigh up in this blog post. Continue reading →

Explain the advantages and disadvantages to a content producer of making their materials freely available online…

The internet is a great way of sharing your work with the world and getting the exposure you desire. However, it does of course have its downsides. Putting your own content online means that millions of people can have access to it meaning they can also use your content without permission, or even worse, claim it as their own work. However there are ways of preventing things like this from happening such as open access, creative commons, and IP. Continue reading →