The October 2008 issue of Learned Publishing is now online. It is a bumper
96-page issue, with plenty to interest everyone.  

 

All articles are free to all ALPSP and SSP members and to journal
subscribers; in addition, editorials, reviews and letters to the Editors, as
well as any articles where the author has taken up the 'ALPSP Author Choice'
OA option, are now free to all.  

 

If you would like to receive an email alert or RSS feed every time a new
issue goes online, all you have to do is sign up at
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/alpsp/lp.

 

The Editorial reports on the findings of our recent Reader Survey, which
provided  fascinating insights into who you all are, what you like or don't
like about the journal, and what you'd like to see in the journal in future.
Let's hope we can satisfy all your wishes!  The Editorial is, of course,
Open Access.  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356671)

 

The lead article, by Don King and Frances Alvarado-Albertorio, follows on
from the earlier article (http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/174148507X183551) on
journal costs;  this is a masterly review of the information available on
journal pricing, making sense of what we know and incidentally knocking some
anti-publisher canards on the head.  This article is Open Access.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356680)

 

 

Cliff Morgan gives a crystal-clear account of the ALPSP/NISO work on
recommended standard nomenclature for the key different stages in a journal
article's evolution;  we could all help users to know what they were looking
at, if we followed these proposals.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356699)

 

Sanford Thatcher writes about the insights he gained, on a recent visit -
which included meetings with key people - into the copyright dilemma
confronting China;  he likens China's current turning-point to that of the
US in the 19th century.  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356707)

 

Amy Kirchhoff clarifies the complex issues of long-term digital
preservation, and outlines how both publishers and libraries are playing
their part within the Portico project.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356716)

 

Peter Givler, of the Association of American University Presses, was a
member of the group - representing publishers, librarians and a wide range
of other stakeholders - which looked at updating the US copyright exceptions
for libraries;  he explains the group's recommendations.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356725)

 

Greg Tananbaum and Lyndon Holmes provide an account of where web-based
submission and peer review systems have come from, and where they may go in
future.  This article is Open Access.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356734)

 

A research study in Australia looked at what peer reviewers themselves
thought about the difference their contribution made to the quality of
journals;  Yanping Lu describes her findings.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X323884)

 

Ellen Raphael believes that publishers need to play a much more active part
in explaining the importance of peer review;  her 'Points of View' piece is
a call to action.  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356743)

 

Joshua Illig and David Sampson describe, in another 'Points of View', a new
kind of scholarly information resource - the non-journal information which
arises from scientific meetings, which they believe should be taken more
seriously.  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356752)

 

 

Jean Dartnall looks at what we can learn from references in book reviews to
the presence or absence, and quality, of indexes.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X323875)

 

Alan Singleton discusses, in an extended review, the recent report from the
International Mathematical Union on Citation Statistics, placing it in the
context of the literature on this hotly debated subject.  This review is
Open Access.  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356761)

 

Pippa Smart reviews two recent 'SpecKits' from the Association of Research
Libraries, on Scholarly Communication Education Initiatives and Open Access
Resources - both eye-openers for publishers on what is happening in
libraries.  This review is also Open Access.
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1087/095315108X356770)

 

We hope you will enjoy some or all of the articles in this issue - don't
hesitate to send a 'Letter to the Editors' if you are moved to react to any
of them!

 

Sally Morris, Editor-in-Chief ([log in to unmask])

Janet Fisher, North American Editor ([log in to unmask])

 

 

 

 


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