Editorial

This month marks one year since the launch of ‘Knowing me, Knowing UKSG: Scholarly Comms Journeys’, a podcast series for the scholarly communications sector. In this latest episode, Katherine Stephan speaks to Dr. Sabina Alam, Director of Publishing Ethics and Integrity at Taylor & Francis Group. Sabina discusses her route from research into publishing, the complexity and challenges of research integrity and the advantages of working together to combat fraudulent publishing.

There’s so much information (and misinformation) related to AI. How can colleagues working in the scholarly communications sector keep up to date with AI and improve their digital skills? UKSG eNews co-editor Tom Morley sat down with Andy Holgate, Digital Skills Developer at Lancaster University, to discuss AI and the future of digital skills within the sector.

Fraudulent papermill articles harm research. They erode trust in the scholarly literature, which should lay the foundation of knowledge. Nonsensical articles can be used in training data for AI models, and researchers waste resources differentiating between real and fake articles, or even worse, use fake research in their own work. One necessary solution is to identify and retract these articles.

One of the many things I love about our sector is that it’s continuously evolving. For me, keeping pace means more than staying up to date with current trends and drivers – it’s about active engagement, collaboration, and being open to different perspectives. The 2024 UKSG Conference and Exhibition, taking place in the culturally rich and vibrant city of Glasgow, promises dynamic discussions, networking, and exploration of the latest developments, challenges and opportunities facing our knowledge community.

In today's digital landscape, data reigns supreme, wielding unparalleled influence over our lives throughout our day, informing our perspectives, shaping our choices, and driving decision making. In a world awash with big data, the need for Data Literacy support has never been more critical.

Where can university presses find the support, resources and guidance they need to succeed and demonstrate value? In this editorial, Megan Taylor, Director of Content and Research at The International Bunch takes us through some of the key places to find help.

In this week's editorial, Joanna Ball discusses UKSG's commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). The article provides an update on last year's EDI audit and shares the EDI statement developed by UKSG Trustees in response to this and plans for the development of a resourced and measurable EDI action plan.

Data collection is part of everyday life. From social media posts to smart sensors, we individually and at the household level produce data constantly. However, we don’t often see where that data goes or how it impacts us when it’s used. This editorial explores the work of the Liverpool City Region Civic Data Cooperative which aims to make data about the region work for the people who live here and ultimately improve the health and wealth of the area.

In September 2023 the Royal Society of Chemistry launched their vision for a great science culture. It outlines the key qualities and foundations of a positive science culture, as well as the underpinning role of recognition in incentivising individuals, teams, and organisations to contribute to an enabling community and quality science (outlined in the schematic). Emma Wilson outlines the process they went through, the research undertaken and the outcomes they are looking for.

Earlier this year, The Company of Biologists announced a new biodiversity initiative – The Forest of Biologists – through which they’re planting and protecting trees on behalf of the communities that surround their journals: Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms, and Biology Open. As part of this initiative, a new tree has been planted in the Young People’s Forest at Mead in Derbyshire for each Research Article and Review article published in the journals. And to acknowledge the efforts of peer reviewers, they’re helping to protect the trees in a piece of ancient woodland at Great Knott Wood in the Lake District National Park, overlooking Lake Windermere.