Research Journals for Free

Recently, the UK government has announced that it will be seriously looking into how to make academic research available online for free to all those who want it. In an early blog I mentioned about a few ways to go about finding scientific journals, and how only some of them were free, and even then it may only be the abstract available without payment. With this change in the pipeline it could mean an opportunity for the scientific community to stride forward with unhindered access to many hundreds, if not thousands, of research papers. This initiative has been dubbed the “Academic Spring” and aims to make the information currently kept behind paywalls to become more freely available to those who are interested in it.

There have been grumblings concerning the cost of journals for some time now, but it wasn’t until January this year that everything came to a head with the blog of a prominent Mathematician, Tim Gowers. He was frustrated at the fact that research that was largely publically funded was being held behind the paywalls of large publishing companies such as Elsevier, and so vowed to cease submitting and reviewing papers for them. This post evidently hit a nerve, and there have been over 400 comments in the past couple of months alone, discussing the situation and what can be done. Since this post was made, many other prominent researchers and institutions have followed suit, and so it seems that something is finally being done to make the flow of information a little more fair.

Could this be replaced by free, online papers?

It’s not all good news, unfortunately, as the process at the moment is one whereby the research papers are published in peer reviewed journals, which firms charge access to. The peer review is a very necessary step for such scientific papers, as it ensures that the results and conclusions gleaned from the base research are scrutinised to make sure the findings are actually useful and correct. Without such review, the papers could potentially lose some reputability, but this has been considered and a couple of solutions brought forward already. One such solution is the “gold model” which has the funders of the research cover the cost of the peer reviews, while the “green model” allows the paper some closed time before it is released into the ether, during which it can attempt to raise the necessary money required.

The founder of the well known information sharing site, Wikipedia, has also joined the discussion, and has been asked by the government to help provide his insights into the situation. Jimmy Wales, if you weren’t aware, has overseen the exponential growth of Wikipedia until it is seen now as perhaps the largest and most prolific base of free information on the internet, and so his appointment into the taskforce should not be seen as that great a surprise.

Journal costs rise every year, prompting calls for change.

Even the prestigious Harvard University has released a memo to its 2 100 teaching and research staff that outlines the growing problem faced by all academic insitutions across the planet, stating that the university faces an “untenable situation” with journal costs rising to nearly $4 million per year. When such a successful and long standing university is showing signs of being unable to cope, it is easy to see why many others are in the same, dire, situation. Not surprising when some journals cost around £15 000 per year!

Not everyone is happy with the idea, however, and fear that without the publishers around to regulate how the information is made available, we will lose out on the strong, reliable infrastructure that has been built up over the many years of standard, peer reviewed journals. At the moment, the government science minister has commissioned a report that will enable both sides to look objectively at the cost, the benefits and also the downfalls of such a move; and so it will only be a matter of time before we truly know which route will be taken.

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Is Lab Insurance Necessary?

One of the most important things when dealing with potentially dangerous chemical or
biological agents in a lab is proper insurance to cover against the unthinkable happening
to one of your employees.

However, it is also important to make sure that you aid your employees in receiving the best possible advice in their own personal insurance policies. Putting your people in touch with their own independent financial advisor will mean that they will know about all the products available to them and exactly what cover they offer.

There are many dangers in a lab - insurance gives peace of mind.

Independent financial advisors are people who are regulated by the FSA to give you the best advice possible on what to do with your money. Along with giving you help
on the best insurance package for you, they are able to provide impartial advice that will allow you to choose the best policy to cover your needs, as well as those of your laboratory and employees.

As well as the obvious costs that are covered by insurance, there are the lesser known costs that may not be apparent. If there were an accident in a laboratory, then there would be investigations carried out by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and the UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) to ensure that all required criteria are followed. Certain policies even cover the costs of these proceedings, and so it is well worth checking out just what is covered and what isn’t!

 

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How Lab Management Can Help You

If you want a successful lab, you’ll need a good lab manager. When it comes to organising the members of the team, delegating tasks to the relevant specialists and ensuring the day to day workings of the laboratory run smoothly, a confident and capable leader is essential.

Delegation is key to success.

There are many firms who will take this job on for you, and offer a thorough and reliable service that will ensure the lab in their charge is in the best of hands. The areas that are most important to these management companies include evaluation, training, implementation and accreditation; meaning that the important work carried out by the members of the laboratory team can go on unhindered. Indeed, the work being undertaken should be boosted by successfully implemented management strategies.

When you consider that a great deal of time is wasted due to poorly thought out processes, as well as putting the wrong person in the wrong role; these management companies start to seem a lot more attractive. There may not be enough time or manpower to come up with fresh new ideas, let alone the ability to implement them throughout the entire laboratory, and so it is down to emergent companies to take the lead and provide the service.

It’s not just management companies that are in demand, but also individuals who are possessed of the right drive and determination. The ideal candidate would be someone who is not only strong on the practical side of running a laboratory, but is also management minded enough to see the big picture and be able to delegate to ensure everyone is being used to the best of their abilities.

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Science Magazines

There are a great deal of regularly published scientific magazines that are aimed at the
general public and people who work in academia. If you’re looking to purchase a science
magazine then you should be able to find a selection of different scientific magazines
from your local newsagent.

Whether it's primary school or PhD, there's a magazine for it.

A science magazine, such as the very popular New Scientist, will typically feature a
number of articles, many of which will focus on current events that have some scientific
significance. Many of the contributors to these magazines are themselves notable
academics and they will often offer their opinion on scientific matters that are covered
in the publication.

Most people will find that a science magazine is published once a month, although there
are some that are published more frequently, however this is entirely dependent on the
focus of the science magazine. Some of these magazines will cover fairly obscure and
specialised topics and as a result gathering enough information and material to publish
an issue more regularly than every other month can be challenging.

Although a great deal of the widely available science magazines are aimed at academics
and people who work in scientific circles there are also publications
targeted at those in education. These may be primary or secondary education, and will cater to the specific needs and abilities of the target audience. A children’s science magazine will often contain a variety of
useful scientific information that could be beneficial to a child’s education, but will be presented in a more accessible way that enables the reader to understand the concepts without excessive jargon.

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Finding Scientific Journals

Whether you are a member of the scientific community or a student looking for help with a dissertation, scientific journals are an excellent way to find information that is both reliable and reputable. These journals have to go through a rigorous review of others from that particular field, known as a peer review, meaning that the information you get to read is always of the highest quality and up to date.

Finding scientific journals online can sometimes be difficult!

Journals can be published weekly, monthly or even annually; depending on the popularity of the subject, as well as whether there have been any important discoveries or results that have arisen. The journals themselves comprise of a number of useful articles that are written by prominent academics, focussing on the subject that the journal concerns itself with, which makes it extremely useful for those interesting in a particular field.

There are many online resources for accessing these journals, and many require a fee to be paid in order to read them. Alternatively, new open access journals are available from some places, offering a free way to read up on the latest peer reviewed journals. As you would expect, a service that you pay for is superior to one that you do not, and so there are sometimes stipulations attached to the free journals, such as only being able to view the abstracts or those that have been published for more than 6 months.

One matter to consider when utilising the information found in scientific journals is that all such information must be probably attributed to the original author or authors. Without proper references, any information used in such a way would be plagiarism, and if you were a student who was writing up a paper it would be looked upon in the direst of manners. In order to avoid such a situation, it is imperative that the proper care be taken to ensure all relevant parties are recognised.

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