Abstract / Description of output
Research is the endeavor of seeking new knowledge and improvements in life and society. It covers subjects as diverse as physics or history, genetics or kinetics, the desire to create new construction materials or to understand the human mind. The world of scholarly communication sits at the heart of research. It allows researchers to disseminate their findings to others through the use of published journal articles, books, conferences, or new media formats. Without this dissemination, the value of the research could be unrealized.
These methods of dissemination have powered research and research institutions such as universities, government laboratories, and charitable research trusts for hundreds of years. Royal Societies were some of the first to publish collections of research, followed by academic societies.
With over $300 billion spent on research and development annually in the U.S. alone, the effective dissemination of research and research data is of increasing importance to those who fund the research.
One important element of the scholarly communication system is the use of peer-review. Before a paper is published, it is often subjected to peer-review where it is independently and anonymously scrutinized by a panel of experts in the field. This ensures the research findings are rigorous and relevant. Research outputs that have been subjected to peer-review are naturally held in higher esteem than those that are not.
But is the world of scholarly communication performing as well as it could?
These methods of dissemination have powered research and research institutions such as universities, government laboratories, and charitable research trusts for hundreds of years. Royal Societies were some of the first to publish collections of research, followed by academic societies.
With over $300 billion spent on research and development annually in the U.S. alone, the effective dissemination of research and research data is of increasing importance to those who fund the research.
One important element of the scholarly communication system is the use of peer-review. Before a paper is published, it is often subjected to peer-review where it is independently and anonymously scrutinized by a panel of experts in the field. This ensures the research findings are rigorous and relevant. Research outputs that have been subjected to peer-review are naturally held in higher esteem than those that are not.
But is the world of scholarly communication performing as well as it could?
Original language | English |
---|---|
Publisher | IBM Developer Works |
Commissioning body | IBM Developer Works |
Publication status | Published - 19 Jan 2011 |