New open content platform from Cambridge
Cambridge University Press has launched a new open content platform, Cambridge Open Engage, which will publish a range of early and open research outputs including preprint papers, abstracts, conference proceedings and posters, grey literature, and open data. Developed in-house using the technology behind Cambridge’s main Core platform, the new site will be open and free to both readers and authors; it will also host content from selected partners such as the American Political Science Association (APSA), whose dedicated APSA Preprints will launch on 29 August.
Cambridge has also launched a new open access journal to explore the transformative effect of data science on engineering; Data-Centric Engineering is supported by global charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation, which will provide publication fees for unfunded researchers.
Springer Nature extends ResearchGate pilot
Springer Nature is extending its partnership with scholarly research network ResearchGate, after an overwhelmingly positive response from users to its initial pilot programme. An expanded programme will quadruple the amount of Springer content available via the platform and experiment with providing non-downloadable access to that content for users without institutional subscriptions. This new phase will also explore the role played by librarians in providing access to scientific research, highlighting content made available to users via library subscriptions.
Digital Science launches integrated access solution, announces new Wiley agreement
Digital Science has launched Anywhere Access, a new cloud-based solution that provides authenticated library users with accelerated one-click access to subscription, on-demand, and open access content from the best available source in the library’s catalogue. Digital Science company Dimensions has also announced an agreement that will provide its metrics and analytics tools to hundreds of users across Wiley, integrating Dimensions data directly into its data warehouse.
New partnerships for Web of Science companies
A new partnership with Web of Science companies Publons and ScholarOne will see IOP Publishing introduce scalable transparent peer-review workflows across several of its journals. Readers will be able to access a comprehensive peer review history alongside published articles in three journals: JPhys Materials, the Journal of Neural Engineering, and Environmental Research Letters. Another Web of Science company, Kopernio, has announced a partnership with Meta, the free biomedical discovery tool from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which will give Meta users one-click access to millions of full-text scientific articles through Kopernio’s free browser plug-in.
New services from Jisc; new award from OpenAthens
Not-for-profit research technology solutions provider Jisc has launched three new library services aiming to make it easier for UK higher education libraries and researchers to access, discover and manage academic collections. Library Hub Discover will make academic library collections more widely visible through web searches, while Library Hub Compare and Library Hub Cataloguing, developed in partnership with global library cooperative OCLC, will provide library staff with information and records for their holdings.
Meanwhile, single sign-on provider OpenAthens, which became part of Jisc when the latter merged with Eduserv at the start of the year, has opened nominations for its first Best Publisher User Experience Award, calling for applications from online publishers demonstrating how they’ve put users’ needs and experience at the heart of changes to digital services. The deadline for applications is Monday 30 September and the winner will be announced at the OpenAthens Conference in March 2020. The organisation has also launched a new end-user-centred brand, following research in which 99% of librarian respondents reported an increase in demand for remote access to library resources from students and researchers.
News in brief
The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) is currently assessing demand for a ‘parent and baby room’ at its biennial University Press Redux conference, which will take place next March in partnership with Cambridge University Press. Responses are requested by Friday 30 August.
Scholarly publishing technology provider Atypon has acquired Inera, developer of a suite of editorial and XML tools and solutions.
Alastair Horne is a PhD student at the British Library and Bath Spa University.