Transforming opportunities in scholarly discourse : JISC

Use the link to access the full text report.  An excerpt from the Foreword reads as follows: " Traditional methods of scholarly communication are changing – and they are changing swiftly and dramatically. Traditional measures of impact are no longer capturing the whole picture. Innovative researchers using new forms of scholarly communications risk not receiving recognition and reward for their work. The way we analyse scholarly activity and research is inevitably going to have to change to respond to the technological and cultural revolution under way. Institutions that fail now to respond and adapt to the transformations taking place in scholarly communications risk their research reputation in the future ... Earlier this year, Jisc and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) gathered thought leaders from the United States and Europe at a horizon-scanning event to explore how institutions need to respond to the changes in scholarly communications, and to discuss how institutions can build reputation and recognise research quality in this new environment. Over an intense two days, experts from both sides of the Atlantic debated and discussed the evolution of scholarly research, behaviour and outputs. They envisioned the future – one in which scholarly discourse recognises the opportunities that digital technologies can bring, in which research outputs evolve into complex but seamless sources of methods, data and narrative, and in which the importance for innovation comes to the fore through barrier-free access to research for small and medium-sized companies. This report clearly distils these key issues from the diverse discussions at the workshop and summarises them in a way that reflects the workshop’s tenor and title – transforming opportunities. Jisc and CNI intend to build on this work and to continue to provide analysis and guidance to institutions facing the challenges and opportunities of the changing environment of scholarly communication. This report concludes with a list of the most significant and promising options for next steps, from policy development on open access to encouragement and reward for new forms of participation and collaboration..."