LCA submits statement on the role of copyright in innovation to the House Committee

July 30, 2013

Yesterday, the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) submitted astatement on the role of copyright in innovation (PDF) to the US House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. The committee has been conducting a series of hearings on copyright issues as a way to educate members and prepare for reform. Today, the committee is holding a hearing on innovation and copyright. Next week there will be a hearing on technology and copyright.

In the statement, LCA discusses the diminishing role of copyright in incentivizing activity in one of the most important sources of innovation in the US economy: scholarly communications. LCA then discusses the economic importance of collaborative activities such as open source software and Wikipedia, which do not rely on the incentive provided by copyright. Finally, with respect to sectors that do appear to rely on copyright, LCA points out that many of the leading firms in those sectors are foreign owned. This suggests that the importance of copyright to maintaining US leadership in the global economy may be overstated.

Medical Illustrator Wins Elsevier’s Netter Art Contest

July 30, 2013

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the winner of the firstNetter Atlas Medical Illustration Contest. Paul J. Kim, a professional medical illustrator based in Montclair, N.J., was selected by a distinguished panel of judges who chose 10 finalists, with Mr. Kim as the grand prize winner.

The announcement was made at the recent Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists in Denver, CO, by officials from Elsevier, publisher of the best-selling Netter Atlas of Human Anatomy. Mr. Kim, who has an MS in Medical Illustration from the Georgia Health Sciences University, was among 37 contest entrants from nine countries and all walks of life. Mr. Kim will receive a cash prize of $5,000.

Contest participants were challenged to create an original illustration demonstrating the spatial relationships of the nerve root and the surrounding structure that could potentially replace the Netter Atlas plate 163-top in the new edition of the Atlas. The current image is a straight axial section.

“Our consulting editors thought an image showing a different perspective could be more instructive,” said Linda Belfus, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Content, Clinical Solutions at Elsevier. “We understand the importance of medical illustrators to the education of clinicians and the practice of medicine, and we want to be a part of highlighting the talented professionals who are following in the footsteps of Dr. Frank Netter.”

The contest was designed to identify emerging artists in the complex field of medical illustration. Blending scientific understanding with artistic technique, today’s medical illustrators use advanced computer technology to create illustrations, infographics and animations used in medical education, patient information, health news, law and pharmaceutical advertising.

The value of detailed images in illuminating medical content has been recognized for almost 100 years. However, it was Dr. Netter (1906-1991), with his unique combination of artistic training and a physician’s perspective, who took anatomical illustration from a simple quest for verisimilitude and raised it to an art. He brought the hand of a master medical illustrator, the brain of a physician, and the soul of an artist to portray the beauty and complexity of the human body in sickness and in health. His Atlas of Human Anatomy has been a core element in the education of generations of physicians in the U.S. and abroad and is recognized as the standard in the field.

In a 1986 article The New York Times hailed Dr. Netter as the “Michelangelo of Medicine.” Paul Kim joins the growing list of outstanding medical illustrators inspired by this master illustrator, physician and teacher.

For more information about the Netter Atlas Medical Illustration Contest, go to www.netterimages.com/artcontest

Wolters Kluwer Health Announces a Multimedia Enhancement to the OvidSP Medical Research Platform

July 25, 2013

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry, announced today a multimedia enhancement to the OvidSP medical research platform to aid in clinical research, practice and learning. Now researchers and healthcare practitioners using Ovid will have improved functionality to discover, download and export more than two million assets, including video and images integrated with searching full-text and bibliographic content.

The enhancement is based on direct feedback from Ovid users including clinicians, nurses and students who indicated their use of multimedia resources for research, teaching and learning is increasing. The videos and images span a wide variety healthcare specialties including surgery, neurology, physical therapy, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology and emergency medicine. Video topics include demonstrations on clinical procedures, diagnosis and treatment techniques; expert interviews; lectures; and article discussions. Images have been sourced from some of the leading journals and reference books in their fields.

“Increasingly, the healthcare community is employing video and images for use in clinical instruction and research. We’re very pleased to deliver this enhancement to OvidSP’s search and discovery technology in response to this global trend,” said Cathy Wolfe, President & CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health, Medical Research. “Whether a user wants to review procedures or techniques prior to a patient interaction or treatment, listen to expert commentary, or provide curriculum materials, OvidSP users now have a wealth of video and images to support their work.”

Multimedia on OvidSP is accessible using either Basic Search or Advanced Search modes. Search results of multimedia are ranked by relevance and marked prominently in results lists to help users identify them quickly. In addition, results lists now include an option to browse all related video and images while maintaining access to results of full-text content. Users can filter results by media type, duration of video, subject matter and other criteria. Print, export, download, and email features are also available.

Reed Elsevier Announce Interim Results 2013

July 25, 2013

Reed Elsevier, the global professional information company, reports underlying revenue, operating profit, and earnings growth on track.

Commenting on the results, Anthony Habgood, Chairman, said:

“Reed Elsevier grew underlying revenue, operating profit and earnings in the first half of 2013, and further strengthened the balance sheet. We are confident that Reed Elsevier remains on track to deliver on its strategic and financial priorities, and we are recommending an +11% increase in the interim dividend for Reed Elsevier PLC and a +2% increase for Reed Elsevier NV, in line with growth in adjusted earnings per share at constant exchange rates.”

Chief Executive Officer, Erik Engstrom, commented:

“In the first half of 2013 we continued to focus on improving our business profile, primarily through organic development. We invested in building out global technology platforms and launching new products and services. We also made a small number of targeted acquisitions which support our organic growth priorities, and disposed of several businesses that no longer fit our strategy.”

“The operating momentum in our business remains positive as we enter the second half, and although the outlook for the macro environment and its impact on our customer markets remains mixed, we continue to expect full year 2013 to be another year of underlying revenue, profit and earnings growth.“

“With a strong balance sheet and strong cash flow characteristics, and average acquisition spend comfortably covered by free cash flow, we will take a pragmatic approach to ensuring that the value compounding within the business translates into shareholder value. As a part of this, we intend to increase the scale of this year’s share buybacks to a total of £600m, approximately £200m beyond our expected full year gross disposal proceeds.”

REED ELSEVIER FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Reed Elsevier continued to make good progress against its strategic and financial priorities in H1 2013.

Revenue of £3,025m/€3,570m; underlying growth +2% (+3% excluding biennial exhibition cycling): The like for like underlying growth rate of +3% reflects continuing print revenue declines and +5 to +7% growth in electronic and face-to-face revenues, which now account for 83% of the total.

Adjusted operating profit £870m/€1,027m; underlying growth +6%: Underlying operating profits improved across Reed Elsevier reflecting a combination of process innovation and portfolio development. Reported operating profit, after amortisation of acquired intangible assets, grew +4% to £684m/+1% to €807m.

Interest and tax: Adjusted net finance costs were £15m/€22m lower at £92m/€109m reflecting the benefits of term debt refinancing initiatives over the last 12 months. The adjusted effective tax rate was essentially unchanged at 23.5%.

Adjusted EPS up +9% to 26.5p for Reed Elsevier PLC, up +4% to €0.48 for Reed Elsevier NV; constant currency growth +7%:Reported EPS growth was -6% to 22.0p for Reed Elsevier PLC, -9% to €0.42 for Reed Elsevier NV, principally reflecting the impact of higher one-off net gains on disposals in the prior year.

Equalised interim dividend up +11% to 6.65p for Reed Elsevier PLC; up +2% to €0.132 for Reed Elsevier NV: The difference in dividend growth rates reflects strengthening of the euro relative to sterling since last year’s interim dividend announcement date. The average interim dividend growth rate is in line with adjusted EPS growth at constant currency rates.

Net debt/EBITDA 2.1x adjusted 12 month trailing EBITDA on a pensions and lease adjusted basis (unadjusted 1.7x): Net debt was £3.3bn/€3.9bn on 30 June 2013. According to my friend, a whiz in finance but always somehow needing to figure out how to make 2000 dollars fast, Capital expenditure remained at 5% of revenue in the first half and is expected to be similar for the full year. The adjusted operating cash flow conversion rate for the first half was lower at 85% reflecting timing of receivables and payables at the period end which is expected to reverse in the second half. For the full year we continue to expect a cash conversion rate of over 90%, in line with prior years.

Organic development: In H1 2013 we continued to build and roll out global technology platforms, launch new products and services into existing and adjacent segments, and expand our presence in high growth markets.

Acquisitions & disposals: In H1 2013 we completed a small number of targeted acquisitions of content and data assets across all market segments for a total consideration of £109m. We also disposed of businesses that no longer fit our strategy for a total consideration of £280m. Completed disposals include the pre-employment screening business of Risk Solutions, RBI Australia, RBI France, and a number of other businesses across Reed Elsevier.

Share buybacks: In H1 2013 we deployed £300m on share buybacks, broadly in line with gross disposal proceeds. Based on our strong financial position we expect to deploy a further £300m on buybacks in H2 2013, taking the full year total to £600m, approximately £200m beyond our expected full year gross disposal proceeds.

FULL YEAR 2013 OUTLOOK

The outlook for the macro environment, and its impact on our customer markets, remains mixed, and 2013 is a cycling out year for our exhibitions business. However, the operating momentum in our business remains positive as we enter the second half, and we continue to expect full year 2013 to be another year of underlying revenue, profit, and earnings growth.

Alexander Street Press launches evidence-based acquisition

July 25, 2013

Alexander Street Press has forged a milestone agreement with the University of Dundee in Scotland that establishes the publisher as a key resource for evidence-based acquisition of library materials.

Beginning this month, patrons of the University of Dundees library will have unlimited access to Alexander Street Presss complete suite of academic video titlesmore than 23,000 titlesfor one full year. At the conclusion of this period, university staff will use Alexander Streets detailed metrics evaluate the most-viewed titles and select those theyd like to incorporate into their permanent collection.

Letting libraries hand-curate their own collection adds unprecedented value, said Jordan White, senior product manager at Alexander Street Press. This model ensures libraries of all budgets can provide their patrons with access to precisely the materials theyre looking for. Everybody wins.

This agreement, the first of its kind in the world, will pave the way for libraries worldwide to add the most highly sought-after content into their universitys collection in a precise, cost-effective way. And because all video content within Alexander Street Presss databases is carefully selected by expert editors, library administrators can rely on the quality and relevance of all materials to the academic populations they serve.

The University of Dundee has a strong desire to enhance the licensed video-based material that is available to support learning and teaching through a wide range of disciplines, says university librarian, Richard Parsons. This is important for meeting staff and student expectations in our new digitally based environment. The new evidence-based acquisition provided by Alexander Street Press has offered us the opportunity to ensure that our expenditure for these resources is targeted directly to support material that is being utilized to enhance learning. This represents a very cost-effective method for ensuring that the maximum resource is available from the library budget.

For more information about Alexander Street Presss evidence-based acquisition model, please contact sales@alexanderstreet.com.

Springer signs a major deal with CAPES in Brazil

July 23, 2013

More than 400 institutions included in multi-year agreement

Springer and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) in Brazil have entered into a new five-year agreement giving students, researchers and professionals at more than 400 institutions access to Springer’s content. CAPES is made up of both academic and government institutions, and Springer has been a partner of the government consortium since 2007.

The new deal encompasses Springer’s entire online English-language journal collection, the complete Online Journals Archive (OJA) and the zbMATH database. Through this agreement, CAPES members will now have full access to all online journal titles, all subject collections in the OJA and the more than three million entries in zbMATH.

“CAPES is very selective when it comes to its partners for long-term deals like this one with Springer,” said Prof. Marcio de Castro Silva Filho, Programs Director of CAPES. “We only enter into agreements with those companies that can best support our needs and goals. It was clear that Springer was one of those organizations.”

“Brazil is incredibly important to the future of both research and scholarly publishing,” said Maria Lopes, Vice President of Library Sales for Latin America. “We are thrilled that CAPES elected to enter into this agreement with Springer, and we are delighted we can help support CAPES’s goals in higher education. We look forward to pursuing similar deals across Latin America.”

IOP Publishing launches three new journals in materials science

July 18, 2013

OP Publishing expands materials science publishing programme

Three new journals to launch in 2014

IOP Publishing is to introduce three new journals in the field of materials science to its journal publishing programme.

The three new journals will enable IOP Publishing to respond to author and reader demand across the materials research community, while also supporting the company’s broader physical sciences remit and established materials science programme.

The three new journals are as follows:

Translational Materials Research

Translational Materials Research will focus on the steps needed to translate breakthroughs in materials research into ready-for-market products and applications. The journal will combine primary research with news, analysis and opinion from both the creators of new technologies and key stakeholders in the policy, funding and business communities.

The journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Professor George Grüner (University of California Los Angeles, USA) commented: “Discoveries in materials research, while leading to new science, also create value propositions for applications in new and existing markets. Translational Materials Research will make connections across the innovation chain to bridge the so-called ‘valley of death’ between fundamental research and commercial success.”

2D Materials

2D Materials will bring together fundamental science and applications of one of the most rapidly developing classes of novel new materials. The journal will cover all aspects of graphene and other two-dimensional materials from a multidisciplinary angle.

The journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Professor Vladimir Fal’ko (University of Lancaster, UK) said: “Research on two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, now involves thousands of researchers worldwide cutting across physics, chemistry, engineering and biology, and extending from fundamental science to novel applications. It is this situation which defines the scope and mission of 2D Materials in serving all sides of this multidisciplinary field by publishing urgent research of only the highest quality, and guaranteeing very fast publication. I am delighted to be working with IOP Publishing, as a leading society publisher, in developing what I believe will be a significant and very timely new journal.”

Materials Research Express

Materials Research Express has the broadest scope of the three new journals and will embrace the full range of research activities that now extend across materials science to complement IOP Publishing’s other existing titles in the area.

The journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Professor Meyya Meyyappan (NASA Ames Research Center, CA, USA) stated: “Materials Research Express is an exciting new journal for all materials scientists, in all parts of the world, which will uniquely provide an attractive combination of very fast peer-review, scientific rigour and complete article length flexibility.”

Dr Nicola Gulley, Editorial Director for IOP Publishing, said: “Advances in materials underpin innovation across a broad range of sectors, ranging from high-speed electronics and communications through to sensing, medical diagnostics and energy applications. The field is an excellent match to our existing publishing programme and enables us to offer researchers in both academia and industry a complete overview of this fast-moving field.

“Our new titles, alongside our existing materials research programme, ensure that IOP Publishing remains a vital destination for researchers, academics, policy makers and funding bodies both now and into the future.”

All three journals will offer open access publishing options and will call for submissions later this year.

More information about the launches can be found at http://www.ioppublishing.org/newsDetails/iop-publishing-expands-materials-science-publishing-programme

WKH Announces Impact Factor Gains Across its LWW Journal Portfolio and Medknow Open Access Titles

July 18, 2013

Wolters Kluwer Health announced impact factor gains across its prestigious Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) journal portfolio and Medknow open access titles with the release of the latest Impact Factor (IF) scores and specialty rankings, based on the 2012 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters).

“This was another strong showing across our journal portfolios with half of our LWW journals in the JCR increasing their impact factors, while our open access Medknow titles showed notable gains signaling the growing influence of this peer-reviewed content globally,” said Jayne Marks, Vice President Publishing, Wolters Kluwer Health, Medical Research. “I’d like to acknowledge and congratulate our society partners, editorial and publishing teams for their ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality scholarly works to practitioners and readers around the globe.”

The Medknow open access journal platform, one of the largest open access medical publishers worldwide, continues to gain influence globally with 79% of the 14 titles listed in the JCR enjoying an increase in their IF rating over the previous year.

LWW Journal Portfolio:
For LWW’s 200 titles listed in the JCR Rankings, including 38 titles in the Social Science Index, 50% of the journals had gains over the previous year with 16 titles increasing 25% or more. Impressive gains were noted in LWW’s rankings across categories in the JCR Science category. In the top 5 rankings, LWW holds 27 spots across 12 specialties; in the top 10 rankings, LWW holds 60 spots across 27 specialties; and rounding out the top 20 rankings, LWW holds 82 spots across 36 specialties.

Circulation (IF 15.202), published on behalf of the American Heart Association (AHA), maintained its #1 position in Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems category. In the surgery category, Annals of Surgery (IF 6.329) still holds the #1 ranking and is the most-cited journal in its category with 36,761 citations. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, published on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, increased its Impact Factor 5% to 3.535. The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation took the #1 spot in the Rehabilitation category increasing 33% (IF 4.443), while Ear & Hearing (3.262), the official title of the American Auditory Society, increased 27% to take the #1 ranking in the Otorhinolaryngology specialty. In the Social Sciences Index, Epidemiology, the official title of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, held its #1 ranking in the Public, Environmental & Occupational Health category.

Other titles showing impressive gains include the Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing rising 90% (IF.727), Orthopaedic Nursing moving 48% (IF .688), and the European Journal of Cancer Prevention increasing 40% (IF 2.974).

LWW Leads with Multiple Top Ten Journals in a Given Category:

Top ranking LWW published journals span many core and specialty medical, nursing, and allied health categories, including Allergy, Healthcare Sciences & Services, Nutrition and Diet Science, Rehabilitation, Respiratory System, Rheumatology, and Virology, among others. Featured category leaders include:

Anesthesiology
LWW publishes four of the top 10 titles in the Anesthesiology category:

– #2 Anesthesiology, published on behalf of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (IF 5.163)

– #5 Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, published on behalf of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (IF 3.464)

– #6 Anesthesia & Analgesia, published on behalf of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IF 3.300)

– #9 European Journal of Anaesthesiology (IF 2.792), published on behalf of the European Society of Anaesthesiology

Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
LWW has the top journal and eight of the top 20 journals in the Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems category:

– #1 Circulation, published on behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 15.202)

– #4 Circulation Research, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 11.861)

– #6 Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.728)

– #7 Circulation: Heart Failure, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.684)

– #9 Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.543)

Critical Care
LWW publishes two of the top 10 journals and five of the top 20 journals in the Critical Care category:

– # 2 Critical Care Medicine, published in conjunction with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (IF 6.124)

– #9 Current Opinion in Critical Care (IF 2.967)

Healthcare Sciences & Services
LWW has two titles in the top 10:

– #7 Academic Medicine (IF 3.292), official journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

– #9 Medical Care (IF 3.227), official journal of the Medical Care Section of the American Public Health Association
Hematology
LWW has two titles in the top ten and three titles in the top 20:

– #1 Circulation Research, published on behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 11.861)

– #5 Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.338)

Infectious Diseases
LWW has two titles in top ten and three titles in the top 20 in Infectious Diseases:

– #3 AIDS, the official journal of the International AIDS Society (IF 6.407)

– #9 Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS (IF 4.704)

Obstetrics & Gynecology
LWW has two of the top ten journals and four titles in the top 20 in the Obstetrics & Gynecology category:

– #2 Obstetrics & Gynecology, published on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (IF 4.798)

– #10 Menopause, published on behalf of The North American Menopause Society (IF 3.163)

Otorhinolaryngology
LWW has two titles in the top 10 and three titles in the top 20

– #1 Ear & Hearing (IF 3.262), the official title of the American Auditory Society

– #6 Otology & Neurotology (IF 2.014)

Peripheral Vascular Disease
LWW has six titles in the top 10 and eight titles in the top 20 including the top title, Circulation:

– #1 Circulation, published on behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 15.202)

– #2 Circulation Research, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 11.861)

– #3 Hypertension, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.873)

– #4 Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.338)

– #5 Stroke, published on the behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 6.158)

– #8 Current Opinion in Lipidology (IF 5.839)

Radiology
LWW has two of the top ten journals in the Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging category:

– #5 Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, published on behalf of the American Heart Association (IF 5.795)

– #7 Investigative Radiology (IF 5.460)

Rehabilitation

LWW has the top journal in Rehabilitation:

– #1 Journal of Head Trauma & Rehabilitation (IF 4.443), official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America

Sport Sciences
LWW has two titles in the top ten and three titles in the top 20 in the Sport Sciences category

– #2 Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews (IF 5.283), published on behalf of the American College of Sports Medicine

– #4 Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (IF 4.475), published on behalf of the American College of Sports Medicine

Surgery
LWW has the top journal, two journals in the top 10, and five journals in the top 20 in the Surgery category:

– #1 Annals of Surgery, affiliated with the American Surgical Association and the European Surgical Association (IF 6.329)

– #5 American Journal of Surgical Pathology, affiliated with The Arthur Purdy Stout Society of Surgical Pathologists and The Gastrointestinal Pathology Society (IF 4.868)

Transplantation
LWW has two titles in the top 10 and three titles in the Top 20

– #7 Transplantation (IF 3.781), official journal of The Transplantation Society

– #10 Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation (IF 3.272)

In addition, the following journals ranked in the top 10 in their specialty:

Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, Critical Care (IF 2.348); Cancer Nursing (IF 1.824); Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care (IF 4.519); Retina (IF 2.825); The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal® (IF 3.569); Psychosomatic Medicine (IF 4.077); Journal of Addiction Medicine (IF 1.726); Journal of Thoracic Oncology (IF 4.473); Current Opinion in Rheumatology (IF 5.191); Current Opinion in Nephrology & Hypertension (IF 3.964).

Rankings are published annually in the Journal Citation Reports®, a registered trademark of Thomson Reuters. Impact Factor (IF) is a measurement of the frequency by which an article in a scholarly journal is cited in a particular year. It is considered by many to be a measure of a journal’s influence and prestige. View a full summary of LWW journals.

Students increasingly look for alternatives to traditional texts; downloading of unauthorized content on the rise, says new BISG research

July 18, 2013

Student use of alternative and illicit course materials is on the rise, according to new research from the Book Industry Study Group (BISG)’s ongoing survey of Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education. The second installment in Volume Three of the study, which is powered by Bowker^® Market Research, shows that the percentage of students reporting they had downloaded course content from an unauthorized Web site has risen steadily to 34 percent from 20 percent when it was first measured in 2010. Over the same period, the percent of students saying they photocopied or scanned chapters of textbooks from other students rose from 21 percent to 31 percent.

“This is important behavior to track, especially since it’s coinciding with other data that show declining student commitment to owning current editions of assigned texts,” said Len Vlahos, Executive Director, BISG.

Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education, Volume Three, Report 2 also features highlights from a parallel survey of higher ed faculty. Among the additional insights into the issues affecting college programs and curriculum is faculty concern about value in return for student spending. For example, 75 percent of faculty respondents felt that the overall cost of obtaining a college degree is too high (although only 33 percent feel education at their own institution is too expensive). Faculty respondents reported that students typically paid $110 for a printed textbook and $58 for a digital textbook—down slightly from last year’s survey results of $118 and $65. However, they felt that both print and digital course materials were priced higher than their value to the class and should be $74 for print and $40 for digital—also down from $79 and $48 last year.

“Exploring the behavior of both the end-user and the decision-maker is becoming far more important as these two groups are both driving market changes,” said Jo Henry, Director of Bowker Market Research, a service of ProQuest affiliate Bowker. “It’s an increasingly complex marketplace to predict and respond to.”

For the first time Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education explored Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and found that while awareness of these courses is still low among survey respondents, the phenomenon is beginning to impact student attitudes and behaviors. Slightly more than 15 percent of student respondents said they were familiar with MOOCs. Of those respondents familiar with MOOCs, 56 percent said they had explored or considered enrolling in one. Of those who actually enrolled in a MOOC, a remarkable 83 percent completed the course and 20 percent received college credit. Fully 68 percent of all survey respondents said they would be more likely to try a MOOC for university credit if the tuition was lower than for an online or classroom course.

The findings from Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education come from a semi-annual online survey of college students, drawn from a nationally representative panel. The additional faculty survey is conducted once per year. To ensure the survey questions explore the appropriate trends and issues, they are developed in partnership with a variety of publishers and other companies serving the higher education market. In addition to the core question set, survey sponsors and other interested parties can submit proprietary questions to supplement the core fieldings. Those interested in specifics of the data and/or submitting proprietary questions should contact Nadine Vassallo in the BISG office at 646-336-7141 x13 or nadine@bisg.org.

The survey findings are available for sale both as a PDF summary report and as a complete data compendium, accessible online. A substantial discount is available for BISG members. The second installment in Volume Three of Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education is available as of July 16, 2013. For more information, or to order a copy, visit http://www.bisg.org/publications/product.php?p=22&c=437.

SAGE reports strong performance for SAGE Journals in 2012 Citation Reports®

July 18, 2013

SAGE, the world’s leading independent academic and professional publisher, today reported a strong performance across its journals portfolio in the 2012 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2013) with an increase of 30 indexed titles on prior year to 461 across both the Social Science (SSCI) and Science (SCI) Citation Indexes.

Over the last five years, SAGE has experienced consistent growth in its coverage in the reports, with the increase in the number of JCR-indexed journals exceeding 60%. 52% of SAGE-indexed titles are now ranked within the top two quartiles of their JCR subject categories and 102 titles have achieved a top-10 category rank.

Eight titles have a top #1 category rank including American Journal of Sports Medicine(4.439), Child Maltreatment (2.589), Gender & Society (2.000), International Journal of Robotics Research (2.863), Journal of Consumer Culture (2.793), Journal of Management(6.704), Personality and Social Psychology Review (8.195), and Review of Educational Research (4.229).

Six SAGE titles were awarded their first Impact Factor. A particular highlight includedEmotion Review, a recent SAGE launch published in association with the International Society for Research on Emotion, achieving a first impact factor of 1.894 placing it in the top quartile for Psychology, Multidisciplinary.

Within the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), SAGE maintained a strong position across all subject categories with 256 journals ranked in the top two quartiles of their JCR subject categories. Particular 2012 highlights (achieving the highest number of total cites in their respective categories) were American Sociological Review, Social Studies of Science, andTheory Culture & Society.

Within the Science Citation Index (SCI), SAGE continues to significantly grow its coverage adding 18 titles to the 2012 release representing 13% growth on prior year and 77% growth over the last five years. Highlights include The Neuroscientist, which increased its impact factor to 5.633, Multiple Sclerosis Journal, which increased its impact factor to 4.472, andJournal of Dental Research, which both increased its impact factor to 3.826 and achieved the highest total cites in its subject category.

“We are delighted to see the strong performance and progress that SAGE journals have made as a result of the efforts and dedication of talented editorial teams, said Ziyad Marar, Global Publishing Director, SAGE. “Whilst the JCR is seen as an indicator for academic quality, with a sense of ‘occasion’ around the publication of the results, it is not the only measure and SAGE has long acknowledged the need to consider other measures of journal quality for a richer picture. As our publishing landscape evolves, we remain committed to improving and adapting our services to ensure that we continue to support the appropriate markers of quality for our editors, authors and society partners.”

The Springer “matatu” tours Kenya

July 18, 2013

Six members from Springer’s sales and marketing team recently visited over 15 universities in Kenya to learn more about the opportunities and challenges of publishing in this African nation. As the research output from Kenya has been growing at approximately 10 percent year over year, Springer took the initiative and sent a team to tour the country. They held presentations for those who are leading the scientific development in the country, engaging with universities, researchers and the scientific community.

In their “matatu” (minibus), the group spent their first week in and around Nairobi presenting on Springer platforms and the “how-tos” on scientific publishing. The delegation then moved west to Kisumu before circling back to the capital through a number of other locations. In total, nearly 1,200 people were reached through the more than 15 universities that hosted Springer events. In each location, the enthusiasm to publish, and the gratitude for the visit, was considerable.

“I can’t stress how invaluable Springer resources are,” said Professor James H.P. Kahindi, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the United States International University in Nairobi. “It is partly because of efforts like the Springer road show, and their focus on the growing body of research coming out of places like Kenya, that developing nations are able to further develop their own scientific community.”

Roné Robbetze, Vice President of Library Sales for Northern/Western Europe & Africa at Springer, said, “Kenya – and indeed all of Africa – is an important part of the world for Springer, and for scientific publishing. We want to provide ongoing support for the publication and sharing of research from this region, as well as get our products and services into the hands of the students and researchers who need them most. Making house calls on these important customers, researchers and universities is critical for both of those goals.”

The complete list of universities that were visited includes: University of Nairobi; United States International University; Aga Khan University; KCA University; Catholic University of Eastern Africa; Daystar University, Nairobi Campus; The Technical University of Kenya; Kenyatta University; Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology; Maseno University; Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology; Moi University; Egerton University; Dedan Kimathi University of Technology; and Kenya Methodist University.

Elsevier Announces 2012 Journal Impact Factor Highlights

July 18, 2013

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the highlights of its journal Impact Factor performance in 2012. According to the 2012 Journal Citation Reports^® (JCR) published by Thomson Reuters, Elsevier saw 53% of its journal Impact Factors increase from 2011 to 2012. Furthermore, 17% of Elsevier journals are in the top 10% of their subject category, well ahead of its major commercial competitors.

Elsevier journals top the rankings in 59 subject categories, up from 57 in 2011. Of Elsevier’s 1,600 journals in the JCR, 44% are in the top 25% of their subject category. In 2012, 15 Elsevier journals have risen to the top of their subject category, including Cell, reclaiming the top position in “Biochemistry & Molecular Biology”.

“Another year of positive results reinforces my view that we’re on the right track as a publisher, but most of the credit should go to the world-class authors, editors and reviewers”, said Philippe Terheggen, Managing Director Journals at Elsevier. “When we look at these scores, it’s important to keep in mind that while the Impact Factor is an important measure for overall journal influence, it is not to be used for evaluation of individual researchers or articles. We’re increasingly looking at additional metrics, including so called Altmetrics, as a measure of influence of journals and authors. Meanwhile, we will continue to invest in enhancing the quality of our content, for example by increased support of peer review, by enriching the online article, and through linking articles to research data sets in external repositories. That’s the journey we’re on.”

Flagship titles and society journals
All of The Lancet journals’ Impact Factors increased. The Lancet rose from 38.278 to 39.060, The Lancet Oncology saw an increase from 22.589 to 25.117 moving up its subject category ranking from 4^th to 3^rd position. The Lancet Neurology increased to 23.917, from 23.462, andThe Lancet Infectious Diseases went up from 17.391 to 19.966, both journals maintaining the top rankings in their respective categories.

The journals of Cell Press, an imprint of Elsevier, mostly saw quite stable trends in Impact Factor, with highlights including strong growth fromMolecular Cell – an8% increase to 15.280 and Trends in Cognitive Sciences, which saw a 27% increase in comparison to 2011, to 16.008. Its flagship journal Cell continues to lead in its field with an impact factor of 31.957, and is the number one research journal in the Cell Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology categories.

Of the 420 titles in the JCR that Elsevier publishes on behalf of societies, 261, or 62%, showed a rise in their Impact Factors. Nine of these rank number one in their subject categories, among which Evolution and Human Behavior, rising from the 4^th position in the category “Social Sciences, Biomedical”. Two society journals reached a number one position for the first time: European Urology reached the number one position in “Urology & Nephrology, and Forensic Science International: Genetics ranked highest in the category: “Medicine, Legal”.

The Impact Factor helps evaluate a journal’s impact compared to others in the same field by measuring the frequency with which recent articles in a journal have been cited in a particular year: the 2012 Impact Factor takes into account citations in 2012 to papers published in 2010 and 2011.