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2017, Page 3

Topic 5 Reflection – Open Access: Free for All?

I found Topic 5 more challenging than the past entries due to the balanced arguments presented. Nonetheless, I managed to present both sides of the debate through a thorough reading of both journal and media articles. Analysing Open Access (OA) in a plethora of contexts has enhanced my knowledge. For instance, after reading Carolina and Philip’s posts, I was introduced to OA outside the educational setting. Continue reading →

Topic 5 – Reflection

This week I explored the method of content release, known as open access. The term itself wasn’t familiar to me however, through my research I was surprised to discover that it was a service that I use often. I used the assessment piece to analyse the positive and negatives of the services as well as incorporate examples. When deciding on examples, I investigated material that I may have overlooked in my initial research and how the content produced would have affected the user. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Reflection

This week focused on open access, with my post leading to discussions on respectability, the advantages and disadvantages of open access over peer reviewed journals, ideas of the knowledge underclass and differences between those in developed and developing countries . From three contributors a wide range of topics were discussed, showing how complex the topic of open access is, with many differing views on whether open access is the way forward. Continue reading →

Topic 5 reflection

I enjoyed researching this week’s topic as I felt I could fully relate as I am sure most of the people writing this week could. Being a student it is hard to try to find relevant readings for your work as is and if you do find one and you cannot access it, it is annoying and disappointing.   Louise mad some good points in her blog about this, stating that it is a right to have access to educational resources. Continue reading →

Reflection – Topic 5

Week 5 focused on content producers making their materials freely available online. Open access was the last topic of this year’s module. I tried to make the most when designing this week’s info-graphics, ranging from my own video to an interactive vote. Patricia and I discussed various topics, such as identifying reliable online information and the trouble newspaper companies are currently facing. Continue reading →

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 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 →