Scholarly Communication in Engineering Andre Iwanchuk LIBR 5559L June 14, 2011 OUTLINE • INFORMATION BEHAVIORS OF ENGINEERS • SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS • GREY LITERATURE (GL) • STANDARDS.
Download ReportTranscript Scholarly Communication in Engineering Andre Iwanchuk LIBR 5559L June 14, 2011 OUTLINE • INFORMATION BEHAVIORS OF ENGINEERS • SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS • GREY LITERATURE (GL) • STANDARDS.
Slide 1
Scholarly Communication in
Engineering
Andre Iwanchuk
LIBR 5559L
June 14, 2011
Slide 2
OUTLINE
• INFORMATION BEHAVIORS OF ENGINEERS
• SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS
• GREY LITERATURE (GL)
• STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
• IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS
Slide 3
INFORMATION BEHAVIORS OF ENGINEERS:
• Engineers select information sources that require the
least amount of effort to access - “the path of least
resistance”, and rely on information they can retrieve in
their office or over the Internet (Kraus, 2007)
• High value placed on informal information sources (e.g.
colleagues)
• Time and budget are two primary constraints that
engineers have to take into account when completing
projects (Fidel & Green, 2003)
Slide 4
ENGINEERING INFORMATION SOURCES:
• Journals, trade publications, books, conference
proceedings, technical reports, standards and patents
(Conkling, 2000)
• Personal experience, personal files, personal books,
departmental files, company library (Ward, 2001)
Slide 5
SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS:
• Books, book chapters, international refereed journal
articles, international refereed conference papers, and
refereed technical or research reports. (Chanson, 2007)
• Quality of research hinges on expert-review process in
international scientific journals and books (Chanson, 2007)
• Slow to embrace Open Access – confusion over copyright
/ peer review process
Slide 6
SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS:
• Some promise - DOAJ – General and Civil Engineering – 131
Journals
• Engineers want unlimited access to original, high quality
information, but are reluctant to make their own research
available through non-official channels due to journal impact
factor, prestige, and career advancement
Slide 7
GREY LITERATURE (GL)
The Grey Literature Network defines grey literature (GL) as
"information produced on all levels of government, academics,
business and industry in electronic and print formats not controlled
by commercial publishing" i.e. where publishing is not the primary
activity of the producing body.”
(ICGL Luxembourg definition, 1997 – Expanded in New York, 2004)
• Technical reports, government documents, standards, patents,
dissertations and theses.
• Difficult to obtain materials from nontraditional sources
(Gelfand,1997)
Slide 8
GREY LITERATURE (GL)
• Generally does not undergo peer review
• More likely to report studies with non-significant results
than peer-reviewed literature (Banks, 2006)
• Seen as a complement to traditional information
resources
Slide 9
GREY LITERATURE - IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS
• Does not come from traditional sources
• Bibliographic description – expensive and difficult
• Storage issues / preservation / long-term retention (Gelfand, 1997)
• Open Access removes economic barriers
• Proper indexing of grey literature removes bibliographic barriers
(Banks, 2009)
Slide 10
STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
A standard is a document that has been prepared, approved,
and published by a recognized standards organization, and
contains rules, requirements, or procedures for an orderly
approach to a specific activity. Standards may include product
design requirements, test methods, classifications,
recommended practices, and other considerations.
(Canadian Standards Association - What is a standard?)
Slide 11
STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
(SDOs)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Slide 12
CREDIT CARD EXAMPLE
• Standard number BS EN ISO/IEC 7810:1996 defines card
dimensions
• Credit cards, smart cards, phone cards – derived from an ISO
standard – optimal thickness in (0.76 mm)
• Adhering to this Standard means that the cards can be used
worldwide
Slide 13
OPEN STANDARDS
• Development of open standards is the responsibility of a trusted
neutral organization
• Responsibility for the ongoing maintenance and development of
open standards is taken by a trusted neutral organization
• Involvement in the development of open standards is open to all
• There are no discriminatory barriers to use of open standards
• Access to open standards is available to all, without any financial
barriers (Kelly, Wilson, Metcalfe, 2007)
Slide 14
OPEN STANDARDS? / OPEN ACCESS?
• Standards developed by Consortia require member
organizations to pay a membership fee
• Standards developed by non for profit organizations (e.g.
CSA) are not free of charge
• Parallel in journals published by professional societies – OA
good in principle – but must charge a fee to cover operational
costs
Slide 15
STANDARDS – IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS
• Institutional access – flat rate annual subscription or payper-use model?
• Access is a mix of hardcopy and online material (web and
proprietary databases)
• Cataloguing inconsistencies – Monographs? Serials?
Handbooks of individual standards?
• Provide instructional content – workshops and tutorials
Slide 16
QUESTIONS?
Slide 17
Banks, M. (2006). Towards a continuum of scholarship: The eventual collapse of the distinction between grey and nongrey literature. Publishing Research Quarterly, 22(1), 4-11. DOI: 1007/s12109-00.
Canadian Standards Association. (2011). What is a standard? Retrieved from:
http://www.csa.ca/consumers/faq/Default.asp?articleID=7043.
Chanson, H. (2007). Research quality, publications, and impact in civil engineering into the 21st century. Publish or
perish, commercial versus open access, Internet versus libraries? Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 34(8),
946-951. DOI:10.1139/L07-027.
Conkling, T. (2000). Engineering information resources on the web. Journal of Library Administration, 30(1), 121-138.
DOI: 10.1300/J111v30n01_09.
Fidel, R., & Green, M. (2004). The many faces of accessibility: engineers’ perception of information sources.
Information Processing & Management, 40(3), 563-581. DOI: 10.1016/S0306-4573(03)00003-7.
Gelfand, J. M. (1997). Academic libraries and collection development implications for grey literature. Publishing
Research Quarterly, 13(2). Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Kelly, B., Wilson S. & Metcalfe, R. (2007). Openness in higher education: Open source, open standards, Open Access.
Why use open standards? Proceedings ELPUB2007 Conference on Electronic Publishing – Vienna, Austria.
Retrieved from: http://en.scientificcommons.org/43882133.
Kraus, J. R. (2007). Engineering research. In Research within the Disciplines: Foundations for Reference and Library
Instruction (pp.201-222). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.
Ward, M. (2001). A survey of engineers in their information world. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science,
33(4), 168-176. DOI: 10.1177/096100060103300402.
Scholarly Communication in
Engineering
Andre Iwanchuk
LIBR 5559L
June 14, 2011
Slide 2
OUTLINE
• INFORMATION BEHAVIORS OF ENGINEERS
• SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS
• GREY LITERATURE (GL)
• STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
• IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS
Slide 3
INFORMATION BEHAVIORS OF ENGINEERS:
• Engineers select information sources that require the
least amount of effort to access - “the path of least
resistance”, and rely on information they can retrieve in
their office or over the Internet (Kraus, 2007)
• High value placed on informal information sources (e.g.
colleagues)
• Time and budget are two primary constraints that
engineers have to take into account when completing
projects (Fidel & Green, 2003)
Slide 4
ENGINEERING INFORMATION SOURCES:
• Journals, trade publications, books, conference
proceedings, technical reports, standards and patents
(Conkling, 2000)
• Personal experience, personal files, personal books,
departmental files, company library (Ward, 2001)
Slide 5
SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS:
• Books, book chapters, international refereed journal
articles, international refereed conference papers, and
refereed technical or research reports. (Chanson, 2007)
• Quality of research hinges on expert-review process in
international scientific journals and books (Chanson, 2007)
• Slow to embrace Open Access – confusion over copyright
/ peer review process
Slide 6
SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION OF ENGINEERS:
• Some promise - DOAJ – General and Civil Engineering – 131
Journals
• Engineers want unlimited access to original, high quality
information, but are reluctant to make their own research
available through non-official channels due to journal impact
factor, prestige, and career advancement
Slide 7
GREY LITERATURE (GL)
The Grey Literature Network defines grey literature (GL) as
"information produced on all levels of government, academics,
business and industry in electronic and print formats not controlled
by commercial publishing" i.e. where publishing is not the primary
activity of the producing body.”
(ICGL Luxembourg definition, 1997 – Expanded in New York, 2004)
• Technical reports, government documents, standards, patents,
dissertations and theses.
• Difficult to obtain materials from nontraditional sources
(Gelfand,1997)
Slide 8
GREY LITERATURE (GL)
• Generally does not undergo peer review
• More likely to report studies with non-significant results
than peer-reviewed literature (Banks, 2006)
• Seen as a complement to traditional information
resources
Slide 9
GREY LITERATURE - IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS
• Does not come from traditional sources
• Bibliographic description – expensive and difficult
• Storage issues / preservation / long-term retention (Gelfand, 1997)
• Open Access removes economic barriers
• Proper indexing of grey literature removes bibliographic barriers
(Banks, 2009)
Slide 10
STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
A standard is a document that has been prepared, approved,
and published by a recognized standards organization, and
contains rules, requirements, or procedures for an orderly
approach to a specific activity. Standards may include product
design requirements, test methods, classifications,
recommended practices, and other considerations.
(Canadian Standards Association - What is a standard?)
Slide 11
STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
(SDOs)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Slide 12
CREDIT CARD EXAMPLE
• Standard number BS EN ISO/IEC 7810:1996 defines card
dimensions
• Credit cards, smart cards, phone cards – derived from an ISO
standard – optimal thickness in (0.76 mm)
• Adhering to this Standard means that the cards can be used
worldwide
Slide 13
OPEN STANDARDS
• Development of open standards is the responsibility of a trusted
neutral organization
• Responsibility for the ongoing maintenance and development of
open standards is taken by a trusted neutral organization
• Involvement in the development of open standards is open to all
• There are no discriminatory barriers to use of open standards
• Access to open standards is available to all, without any financial
barriers (Kelly, Wilson, Metcalfe, 2007)
Slide 14
OPEN STANDARDS? / OPEN ACCESS?
• Standards developed by Consortia require member
organizations to pay a membership fee
• Standards developed by non for profit organizations (e.g.
CSA) are not free of charge
• Parallel in journals published by professional societies – OA
good in principle – but must charge a fee to cover operational
costs
Slide 15
STANDARDS – IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS
• Institutional access – flat rate annual subscription or payper-use model?
• Access is a mix of hardcopy and online material (web and
proprietary databases)
• Cataloguing inconsistencies – Monographs? Serials?
Handbooks of individual standards?
• Provide instructional content – workshops and tutorials
Slide 16
QUESTIONS?
Slide 17
Banks, M. (2006). Towards a continuum of scholarship: The eventual collapse of the distinction between grey and nongrey literature. Publishing Research Quarterly, 22(1), 4-11. DOI: 1007/s12109-00.
Canadian Standards Association. (2011). What is a standard? Retrieved from:
http://www.csa.ca/consumers/faq/Default.asp?articleID=7043.
Chanson, H. (2007). Research quality, publications, and impact in civil engineering into the 21st century. Publish or
perish, commercial versus open access, Internet versus libraries? Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 34(8),
946-951. DOI:10.1139/L07-027.
Conkling, T. (2000). Engineering information resources on the web. Journal of Library Administration, 30(1), 121-138.
DOI: 10.1300/J111v30n01_09.
Fidel, R., & Green, M. (2004). The many faces of accessibility: engineers’ perception of information sources.
Information Processing & Management, 40(3), 563-581. DOI: 10.1016/S0306-4573(03)00003-7.
Gelfand, J. M. (1997). Academic libraries and collection development implications for grey literature. Publishing
Research Quarterly, 13(2). Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Kelly, B., Wilson S. & Metcalfe, R. (2007). Openness in higher education: Open source, open standards, Open Access.
Why use open standards? Proceedings ELPUB2007 Conference on Electronic Publishing – Vienna, Austria.
Retrieved from: http://en.scientificcommons.org/43882133.
Kraus, J. R. (2007). Engineering research. In Research within the Disciplines: Foundations for Reference and Library
Instruction (pp.201-222). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.
Ward, M. (2001). A survey of engineers in their information world. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science,
33(4), 168-176. DOI: 10.1177/096100060103300402.