Marcus Leaning
@marcusleaning.bsky.social
Brexit refugee, ran away to Ireland. Works in a university.
#AcademicSky a good evaluation of Clarivate's responsible research impact assessment tool. Ouch! blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
How responsible is Clarivate’s “responsible” impact assessment framework? - Impact of Social Sciences
How responsible is Clarivate’s Responsible Framework for Evaluating the Societal Impact of Research according to the INORMS SCOPE framework?
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 7, 2025 at 5:19 PM
#AcademicSky a good evaluation of Clarivate's responsible research impact assessment tool. Ouch! blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
#academicsky I like you more when you cited me... Peer reviewers more likely to approve articles that cite their own work share.google/xouO1hcLquRp...
Peer reviewers more likely to approve articles that cite their own work
Preprint examines how citations can influence the review process.
share.google
August 23, 2025 at 8:13 PM
#academicsky I like you more when you cited me... Peer reviewers more likely to approve articles that cite their own work share.google/xouO1hcLquRp...
#academicsky journal publishers don't seem aware of the perilous state of UK HE finances & refuse to lower prices (and seem to be trying to extract max profit) could lead to some serious problems. ‘Business-as-usual’ offers from publishers raise walk away fears share.google/RrvI8PrJpDCB...
‘Business-as-usual’ offers from publishers raise walk-away fears
Disappointing offers which ‘miss financial reality’ faced by UK higher education have heightened speculation that institutions will ditch proposed deals
share.google
August 20, 2025 at 1:15 PM
#academicsky journal publishers don't seem aware of the perilous state of UK HE finances & refuse to lower prices (and seem to be trying to extract max profit) could lead to some serious problems. ‘Business-as-usual’ offers from publishers raise walk away fears share.google/RrvI8PrJpDCB...
#academicsky a thoughtfully piece on academic fraud: Crossed Wires: Academic retractions explode as scientific swindles mushroom share.google/2IzerTjAmR5D...
Crossed Wires: Academic retractions explode as scientific swindles mushroom
Scientific fraud was rare before the internet. In 1990, only 50 papers were retracted across the academic spectrum. In 2023-24, there were 45,000 retractions.
share.google
August 17, 2025 at 9:57 PM
#academicsky a thoughtfully piece on academic fraud: Crossed Wires: Academic retractions explode as scientific swindles mushroom share.google/2IzerTjAmR5D...
#academicsky reported elsewhere - this story has enough 'newsworthyness' to hit popular media as well as academic sources. Tragic that the story itself seems to be adding to the anti 'cant trust science' agenda as well as reporting the initial fraudulent activity share.google/7jeR973WhRvt...
Researchers expose organised scientific fraud network
share.google
August 6, 2025 at 5:06 PM
#academicsky reported elsewhere - this story has enough 'newsworthyness' to hit popular media as well as academic sources. Tragic that the story itself seems to be adding to the anti 'cant trust science' agenda as well as reporting the initial fraudulent activity share.google/7jeR973WhRvt...
#academicsky accommodation crisis for students. Students at many universities based towns now far this problem in ireland. Is it the same in other countries? Not mentioned is the impact on studies and disproportionate impact on economically disadvantaged students share.google/QWrvg2y5V5Wj...
'Just impossible' - Students on accommodation shortage
The University of Galway has sent out 40,000 fliers asking people in the city to make accommodation available for students ahead of the new semester.
share.google
August 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
#academicsky accommodation crisis for students. Students at many universities based towns now far this problem in ireland. Is it the same in other countries? Not mentioned is the impact on studies and disproportionate impact on economically disadvantaged students share.google/QWrvg2y5V5Wj...
#academicsky funding system makes little difference in participation unless you want to reach students in countries with high participation, then it helps to get to the 'hard to reach' students link.springer.com/article/10.1...
More funding, more students? Student funding policies and tertiary education enrolment ratios in 32 high-participation countries - Higher Education
Participation in tertiary education has grown dramatically in recent decades, and the distribution of the costs for degrees between students, families and states has consequently become an intensely d...
link.springer.com
July 30, 2025 at 8:46 AM
#academicsky funding system makes little difference in participation unless you want to reach students in countries with high participation, then it helps to get to the 'hard to reach' students link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#academicsky This looks to be promising... www.timeshighereducation.com/news/anz-uni...
ANZ universities adopt ‘unified position’ on open access
Simpler ‘publish-as-a-service’ agreements in the frame as sector eyes ‘pivotal year’ for removal of research paywalls
www.timeshighereducation.com
July 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
#academicsky This looks to be promising... www.timeshighereducation.com/news/anz-uni...
#academicsky some interesting numbers here - diversifying journal reviewers a way forward... Is there a strain on peer review? – It’s more complicated than you think - Impact of Social Sciences share.google/NukP0Yx7TD6j...
Is there a strain on peer review? – It’s more complicated than you think - Impact of Social Sciences
The significant growth of academic publishing in recent years has led some to argue the system is reaching a breaking point, but is it this simple?
share.google
July 22, 2025 at 9:40 AM
#academicsky some interesting numbers here - diversifying journal reviewers a way forward... Is there a strain on peer review? – It’s more complicated than you think - Impact of Social Sciences share.google/NukP0Yx7TD6j...
#academicsky come to Ireland!Ireland targets world-class researchers with new initiative www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/i...
Ireland targets world-class researchers with new initiative
Today Minister Lawless has launched the Global Talent Ireland initiative which aims to attract the best and brightest researchers to Ireland.
www.siliconrepublic.com
July 18, 2025 at 1:07 PM
#academicsky come to Ireland!Ireland targets world-class researchers with new initiative www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/i...
#academicsky possibly 13.5% of academic biomed paper abstracts published in 2024 indexed in pubmed 'processed' using AI. Massive study detects AI fingerprints in millions of scientific papers share.google/eIuadvWN33Ci...
Massive study detects AI fingerprints in millions of scientific papers
Chances are that you have unknowingly encountered compelling online content that was created, either wholly or in part, by some version of a Large Language Model (LLM). As these AI resources, like Cha...
share.google
July 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM
#academicsky possibly 13.5% of academic biomed paper abstracts published in 2024 indexed in pubmed 'processed' using AI. Massive study detects AI fingerprints in millions of scientific papers share.google/eIuadvWN33Ci...
#academicsky The coalition Irish govt announced an increase (or reversion to pre cost of living reduction) to student fees back to 3k euro per year but an at least partial u turn and perm reduction now looks increasingly likely. share.google/8zAat2mvdGXW...
Students in line for permanent fee cut as Coalition parties move on to budget battle over welfare payments
Third-level students are in line to see hundreds of euro permanently cut off their college fees, in a move that will be seen as a concession by Fianna Fáil.
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July 6, 2025 at 4:49 PM
#academicsky The coalition Irish govt announced an increase (or reversion to pre cost of living reduction) to student fees back to 3k euro per year but an at least partial u turn and perm reduction now looks increasingly likely. share.google/8zAat2mvdGXW...
#academicsky impact of doge cuts on NSFW funding. Truly an own goal. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Scientists warn US will lose a generation of talent because of Trump cuts
Political interference and chaotic cuts to staff, programs and grants at the National Science Foundation are producing ‘devastating consequences’
www.theguardian.com
July 6, 2025 at 3:07 PM
#academicsky impact of doge cuts on NSFW funding. Truly an own goal. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
#academicsky the ai arms race continues - ai prompts hidden in papers for perry review www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07...
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
The discovery raises serious concerns about the integrity of the research in the papers and highlights flaws in academic publishing.
www.japantimes.co.jp
July 5, 2025 at 8:17 AM
#academicsky the ai arms race continues - ai prompts hidden in papers for perry review www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07...
Some good news for arts practitioners in Ireland though its a little prescriptive in what counts as arts practice. Artists to receive an extra €8,450 as Basic Income for the Arts scheme extended until next year share.google/xxYv09M5bBQM...
Artists to receive an extra €8,450 as Basic Income for the Arts scheme extended until next year
The National Campaign for the Arts has called for the funding scheme for Irish artists to be made permanent.
share.google
June 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Some good news for arts practitioners in Ireland though its a little prescriptive in what counts as arts practice. Artists to receive an extra €8,450 as Basic Income for the Arts scheme extended until next year share.google/xxYv09M5bBQM...
#Academicsky the impact of cutting librarian provision in schools will likely have a decades long impact. BBC News - Every Glasgow secondary school set to lose its librarian
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Librarians set to be removed from every Glasgow secondary school
A principal librarian and a team of assistants would cover Glasgow's 30 secondary schools if council budget cuts are approved.
www.bbc.com
June 21, 2025 at 2:03 PM
#Academicsky the impact of cutting librarian provision in schools will likely have a decades long impact. BBC News - Every Glasgow secondary school set to lose its librarian
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#academicsky I feel this may disproportionately impact staff at risk or having been made redundant recently. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-202...
REF 2029: Decoupling outputs and staff goes ahead despite outcry
Controversial rules on uncapping output numbers for researchers and preventing research ‘portability’ confirmed
www.timeshighereducation.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:32 PM
#academicsky I feel this may disproportionately impact staff at risk or having been made redundant recently. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-202...
#academicsky this is a depressing but very accurate article about UK HE. Maybe market driven HE was not the best solution... theconversation.com/why-the-uk-g...
Why the UK government is opposing universities on immigration
The rise of nationalist politics is important, but so is higher education reform.
theconversation.com
June 1, 2025 at 8:20 AM
#academicsky this is a depressing but very accurate article about UK HE. Maybe market driven HE was not the best solution... theconversation.com/why-the-uk-g...
#academicsky
The closure of ERIC due to DOGE cuts is a very sad loss. www.governing.com/policy/major...
The closure of ERIC due to DOGE cuts is a very sad loss. www.governing.com/policy/major...
Major Education Resource Set to Shut Down This Week
The federal Department of Education maintains an open access database of more than 2 million documents dating back to the 1960s. It will cease operating Wednesday due to DOGE cuts.
www.governing.com
April 23, 2025 at 10:04 AM
#academicsky
The closure of ERIC due to DOGE cuts is a very sad loss. www.governing.com/policy/major...
The closure of ERIC due to DOGE cuts is a very sad loss. www.governing.com/policy/major...
#Academicsky a good article on self citing papers; not as bad as it seems and disciplinary driven as papers in some fields cite their published data sets retractionwatch.com/2025/03/19/p...
Why do nearly 45,000 scholarly papers cite themselves?
While thousands of papers cite themselves, the percentage that do so is relatively low. Haunschild & Bornmann/arXiv.org While using bibliometric techniques to measure how disruptive research pa…
retractionwatch.com
March 20, 2025 at 7:40 AM
#Academicsky a good article on self citing papers; not as bad as it seems and disciplinary driven as papers in some fields cite their published data sets retractionwatch.com/2025/03/19/p...
Reposted by Marcus Leaning
12th PUBMET2025 Conference on Scholarly Communication in the Context of Open Science, University of Zagreb, Sept 11-12, 2025. CfP submissions invited by April 1. https://pubmet2025.unizd.hr/call-for-submission/
Call for Submission – PUBMET2025
pubmet2025.unizd.hr
March 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
12th PUBMET2025 Conference on Scholarly Communication in the Context of Open Science, University of Zagreb, Sept 11-12, 2025. CfP submissions invited by April 1. https://pubmet2025.unizd.hr/call-for-submission/
#academicsky a very interesting and perhaps controversial post that interprets journal articles as instrumental tokens for institutional or career benefit rather than a means of knowledge dissemination blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
Does authorship mean anything when academic papers are simply citable tokens?
The bibliometric infrastructure of citations has become an inescapable organising feature of academic life. Drawing on a range of evidence of the use and misuse of citations data, Stuart Macdonald …
blogs.lse.ac.uk
February 17, 2025 at 11:04 PM
#academicsky a very interesting and perhaps controversial post that interprets journal articles as instrumental tokens for institutional or career benefit rather than a means of knowledge dissemination blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
#academicsky this is a useful and fair account of the US Federal research data taken down (and when and the extent of its restoration) www.kff.org/policy-watch...
A Look at Federal Health Data Taken Offline | KFF
This post looks at federal government databases with key health data that went offline on Jan. 31, 2025, including several related to HIV, some of which had returned by Feb. 2, 2025. It briefly descri...
www.kff.org
February 7, 2025 at 3:25 PM
#academicsky this is a useful and fair account of the US Federal research data taken down (and when and the extent of its restoration) www.kff.org/policy-watch...
#academicsky
A good piece on uk universities and the Elsevier OA deal...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
A good piece on uk universities and the Elsevier OA deal...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
Why are universities ending their Elsevier open access agreements?
After recent reporting that three UK universities had ended their transitional open access agreements with the publisher Elsevier, Peter Barr explains why academic libraries are making these decisi…
blogs.lse.ac.uk
February 3, 2025 at 10:52 PM
#academicsky
A good piece on uk universities and the Elsevier OA deal...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
A good piece on uk universities and the Elsevier OA deal...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
#AcademicSky
An interesting piece on the UK's proposed data 'lake'.
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/goldacr...
An interesting piece on the UK's proposed data 'lake'.
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/goldacr...
Goldacre warns Labour against ‘monolithic’ national data library
Scientists urge UK to adopt network approach for landmark project bringing public data together
www.timeshighereducation.com
January 27, 2025 at 2:32 PM
#AcademicSky
An interesting piece on the UK's proposed data 'lake'.
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/goldacr...
An interesting piece on the UK's proposed data 'lake'.
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/goldacr...