Plan S: The Big Push for Immediate Open Access Plan S is an international initiative launched by cOAlition S, a group of research funders primarily from Europe. Think of it as a movement saying, “If we, the funders, pay for the research, the final published work should be free for everyone to read and reuse […]
What “rights retention” really means When you publish research, you don’t have to give up all your rights to the publisher. Rights retention means keeping the legal ability to share, reuse, and build upon your own work, often through a Creative Commons (CC) license. These licenses let others use your work under certain conditions, while […]
The APC Playbook: Waivers & Discounts for Open Access Article Processing Charge (APC) waivers are a breath of fresh air for many researchers. In Open Access (OA), they can make the difference between shelving a finished manuscript and seeing it published, sometimes at a steep discount or even for free. Imagine unlocking that privilege as […]
Green, Gold, Diamond: Choosing the Right Open Access Route for Your Paper Open Access (OA) comes in a few flavours. The route you choose affects cost, timing, licensing, and how quickly readers can find and cite your work. Green Open Access (Self-Archiving) Green OA means the author makes a version of their work freely available […]
Open Access 101: What Authors Gain (and What You Don’t Lose) Open Access (OA) makes your research free to read online, no paywalls, no institutional barriers. For authors, OA usually means wider visibility, faster dissemination, and more collaboration, without giving up peer review. OA isn’t a trade-off; it’s a strategic advantage. Why Open Access Now? […]
Personal and Professional Development as a Researcher Whether you are just starting out or you are a mid-career researcher, progressing in your career could be really bothersome but it is highly rewarding. Successful researchers analyse carefully their skills, objectives, and the areas they need to develop. It is high time you managed your personal and […]
Transitioning from Academia to Industry Although transitioning from academia in pursuit of careers in the industry seems non-typical, it can be achieved with ease if a number of elements are considered in line with WHAT you need to make the right move, WHEN to move, WHERE to move to, and HOW to be relevant there. […]
Building a Career in Scientific Publishing Do you have a desire to serve the scientific community outside the lab (i.e. apart from research careers), which is tailored towards critically analyzing papers including those outside your field of expertise? If yes, you just could be a perfect fit for a career in scientific publishing. There are […]
The Significance of Research Collaborations If there is one salient benefit of research collaboration to science and the society apart from efficiency, it is achieving understanding from different angles and perspectives. A major barrier however to this beautiful concept is the fact that many of the recognition and reward structures are still on an individual […]
Scientific Collaborations and Authorship Disputes It has become a major cause for concern that early-career researchers many a time do not get the credit they deserve for their contributions to a research paper. Their efforts get downplayed and they unfairly find themselves go down in the pecking order in the author lists. Some unfortunately do […]