Open Access Publishing Research Articles

Citations in Wikipedia for understanding research reach.

Wikipedia is the most frequently accessed online health information resource and is well positioned as a valuable tool for public health communication and knowledge translation. The authors aimed to explore their institution's health and medical research reach by analyzing its presence in Wikipedia articles. In October 2022, a comprehensive database search was constructed in PubMed to retrieve clinical evidence syntheses published by at least one author affiliated with McMaster University from 2017 to 2022, inclusive. Altmetric Explorer was queried using PubMed Identifiers and article titles to access metadata and Wikipedia citation data. 3,582 health evidence syntheses from at least one McMaster University affiliated author were analyzed. Six percent (n=219) of health evidence syntheses from the authors' institution were cited 568 times in 524 unique Wikipedia articles across 28 different language editions. 45% of citations appeared in English Wikipedia, suggesting a broad global reach for the institutions' research outputs. When adjusted for open access publications, 8% of McMaster University's health evidence syntheses appear in Wikipedia. Altmetric Explorer is a valuable tool for exploring the reach of an institution's research outputs. Isolating Altmetric data to focus on Wikipedia citations has value for any institution wishing to gain more insight into the global, community-level reach of its contributions to the latest health and medical evidence.

Assessment of Indoor Radon Gas Concentration in Latvian Households

Exposure to radon gas in households presents serious health risks, including an increased likelihood of lung cancer. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the change in individual habits has led to more time spent in indoor environments with remote activities; thus, the need to raise the awareness of air quality in dwellings and to mitigate the exposure of inhabitants to radon has emerged. This study investigated radon gas concentrations in the air of Latvian dwellings. RadTrack2 passive detectors were deployed in a representative sample of households across 106 municipalities of Latvia (98% of the territory), yielding data from 487 households (973 detectors). The data revealed a median radon concentration of 52 Bq/m3 (Q1 and Q3 were 29 and 93 Bq/m3), with the majority of samples (95.6%) falling below the national reference limit of 200 Bq/m3. The building type and presence of a cellar significantly impacted radon levels, with structures lacking cellars and older buildings exhibiting higher concentrations. Mechanical ventilation proved to be more effective in reducing radon levels, compared to natural ventilation. These findings emphasize the necessity of proactive measures to mitigate indoor radon exposure and to ensure the well-being of occupants. Additionally, the dissemination of research data on radon exposure through open-access scientific publications is vital for raising awareness and implementing effective mitigation strategies.

Defining a malaria diagnostic pathway from innovation to adoption: Stakeholder perspectives on data and evidence gaps.

Malaria, a major global health concern, requires effective diagnostic tools for patient care, disease control, and elimination. The pathway from concept to the adoption of diagnostic products is complex, involving multiple steps and stakeholders. To map this process, our study introduces a malaria-specific diagnostic pathway, synthesising existing frameworks with expert insights. Comprising six major stages and 31 related activities, the pathway retains the core stages from existing frameworks and integrates essential malaria diagnostic activities, such as WHO prequalification processes, global stakeholder involvement, and broader health systems considerations. To understand the scope and availability of evidence guiding the activities along this pathway, we conducted an online survey with 113 participants from various stages of the malaria diagnostic pathway. The survey assessed perceptions on four critical attributes of evidence: clear requirements, alignment with user needs, accuracy and reliability, and public and free availability. It also explored the types of evidence used and the challenges and potential solutions related to evidence generation and use. Respondents reported using a broad range of formal and informal data sources. Findings indicated differing levels of agreement on the attributes across pathway stages, with notable challenges in the Approvals and Manufacturing stage and consistent concerns regarding the public availability of data/evidence. The study offers valuable insights for optimising evidence generation and utilisation across the malaria diagnostic pathway. It highlights the need for enhanced stakeholder collaboration, improved data availability, and increased funding to support effective evidence generation, sharing, and use. We propose actionable solutions, including the use of public data repositories, progressive data sharing policies, open-access publishing, capacity-building initiatives, stakeholder engagement forums, and innovative funding solutions. The developed framework and study insights have broader applications, offering a model adaptable for other diseases, particularly for neglected tropical diseases, which face similar diagnostic challenges.

Article processing charges suppress the scholarship of doctoral students

The open access movement has drastically reconfigured the financial burdens of scholarly publishing. Yet, the influence of a marketized scholarly publishing system on doctoral education remains unexplored. I reflect on my own PhD candidature to illustrate how article processing charges disempower doctoral candidates. I argue that the current open access publishing model unfairly advantages candidates with personal, familial and/or institutional wealth. The inequalities imposed on doctoral students by our sectors’ current publishing habits ultimately bias who will be paid to produce and safeguard knowledge in the future. Doctoral students can no longer be ignored in debates over open access publishing.

Open science practices in traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine research: A path to enhanced transparency and collaboration

This educational article explores the convergence of open science practices and traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM), shedding light on the potential benefits and challenges of open science for the development, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based TCIM. We emphasize the transformative shift in medical science towards open and collaborative practices, highlighting the limited application of open science in TCIM research despite its growing acceptance among patients. We define open science practices and discuss those that are applicable to TCIM, including: study registration; reporting guidelines; data, code and material sharing; preprinting; publishing open access; and reproducibility/replication studies. We explore the benefits of open science in TCIM, spanning improved research quality, increased public trust, accelerated innovation, and enhanced evidence-based decision-making. We also acknowledge challenges such as data privacy concerns, limited resources, and resistance to cultural change. We propose strategies to overcome these challenges, including ethical guidelines, education programs, funding advocacy, interdisciplinary dialogue, and patient engagement. Looking to the future, we envision the maturation of open science in TCIM, the development of TCIM-specific guidelines for open science practices, advancements in data sharing platforms, the integration of open data and artificial intelligence in TCIM research, and changes in the context of policy and regulation. We foresee a future where open science in TCIM leads to a better evidence base, informed decision-making, interdisciplinary collaboration, and transformative impacts on healthcare and research methodologies, highlighting the promising synergy between open science and TCIM for holistic, evidence-based healthcare solutions.

Complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine researchers' practices and perceived barriers related to open science: An international, cross-sectional survey.

Open science (OS) aims to make the dissemination of knowledge and the research process transparent and accessible to everyone. With the increasing popularity of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM), our goal was to explore what are CAIM researchers' practices and perceived barriers related to OS. We conducted an anonymous online survey of researchers who published in journals listed in Scopus containing the words "complementary", "alternative", or "integrative" medicine in their names. We emailed 6040 researchers our purpose-built electronic survey after extracting their email address from one of their publications in our sample of journals. We questioned their familiarity with different OS concepts, along with their experiences and challenges engaging in these practices over the last 12 months. The survey was completed by 392 researchers (6.5% response rate, 97.1% completion rate). Most respondents were CAIM researchers familiar with the overall concept of OS, indicated by those actively publishing open access (OA) (n = 244, 76.0%), registering a study protocol (n = 148, 48.0%), and using reporting guidelines (n = 181, 59.0%) in the past 12 months. Preprinting, sharing raw data, and sharing study materials were less popular. A lack of funding was reported as the greatest barrier to publishing OA by most respondents (n = 252, 79.0%), and that additional funding is the most significant incentive in applying more OS practices to their research (n = 229,72.2%). With respect to preprinting barriers, 36.3% (n = 110) participants believed there are potential harms in sharing non-peer-reviewed work and 37.0% (n = 112) feared preprinting would reduce the likelihood of their manuscript being accepted by a journal. Respondents were also concerned about intellectual property control regarding sharing data (n = 94, 31.7%) and research study materials (n = 80, 28.7%). Although many participants were familiar with and practiced aspects of OS, many reported facing barriers relating to lack of funding to enable OS and perceived risks of revealing research ideas and data prior to publication. Future research should monitor the adoption and implementation of OS interventions in CAIM.

Geogebra As A 21st Century Learning Tool: A Systematic Literature Review

Learning in the 21st century requires the use of media in learning which results in new desires and interests, increases motivation and stimulation in learning, and even has a psychological effect on students. Technology-based learning media can make learning more interesting, because the use of appropriate media can help convey material abstractly, so that students can more easily understand the material. The existence of technology in learning mathematics helps students in understanding mathematical concepts. One form of math learning media is GeoGebra. This study aims to analyze the distribution of education levels, materials, and 21st century skills that are most often used in the application of the GeoGebra application as a 21st Century Mathematics learning media. The research method used was systematic literature review. The research subjects were 33 journal articles obtained from the Scopus, Google Scholars, ScienceDirect, Springer, ResearchGate, OJS (Open Journal System), and Eric databases in the last 7 years. The results showed that the study of 21st century geogebra increased in 2020 and the peak occurred in 2022 with the research method used dominated by quasi-experiments. In addition, the junior high school education level, geometry transformation material and analytic geometry of the field, as well as creative thinking skills become the most dominating and widely conducted research.

Effect of metformin use on graft and patient survival in kidney transplant recipients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionMetformin is a first-line antihyperglycaemic agent for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In addition to glycaemic control, it offers benefits related to cardiovascular health, weight neutrality and metabolic syndrome. However, its...

Global Landscape of the Attack of Predatory Journals in Oncology.

Open-access publishing expanded opportunities to give visibility to research results but was accompanied by the proliferation of predatory journals (PJos) that offer expedited publishing but potentially compromise the integrity of research and peer review. To our knowledge, to date, there is no comprehensive global study on the impact of PJos in the field of oncology. A 29 question-based cross-sectional survey was developed to explore knowledge and practices of predatory publishing and analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Four hundred and twenty-six complete responses to the survey were reported. Almost half of the responders reported feeling pressure to publish from supervisors, institutions, and funding and regulatory agencies. The majority of authors were contacted by PJos through email solicitations (67.8%), with fewer using social networks (31%). In total, 13.4% of the responders confirmed past publications on PJo, convinced by fast editorial decision time, low article-processing charges, limited peer review, and for the promise of academic boost in short time. Over half of the participants were not aware of PJo detection tools. We developed a multivariable model to understand the determinants to publish in PJos, showing a significant correlation of practicing oncology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and predatory publishing (odds ratio [OR], 2.02 [95% CI, 1.01 to 4.03]; P = .04). Having previous experience in academic publishing was not protective (OR, 3.81 [95% CI, 1.06 to 13.62]; P = .03). Suggestions for interventions included educational workshops, increasing awareness through social networks, enhanced research funding in LMICs, surveillance by supervisors, and implementation of institutional actions against responsible parties. The prevalence of predatory publishing poses an alarming problem in the field of oncology, globally. Our survey identified actionable risk factors that may contribute to vulnerability to PJos and inform guidance to enhance research capacity broadly.

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Get Published in the New IEEE Open Journal of Industry Application

Cover, Content, and Editorial Note from Borneo J Med Lab Tech Vol. 6 No. 2 April 2024

Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb. Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamin. After a long wait of almost 12 years from the first stand, the scientific journal of the Department of Analyst Health (Medical Laboratory Technology) Universitas Muhammadiyah Palangkaraya can be published. BJMLT is published every 6 months (2 issues/year) every October and April. This journal aims to publish high-quality articles dedicated to all aspects of the latest outstanding developments in the field but not limited to Blood transfusion, Clinical Chemistry, Hematology, Histopathology, Immunology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Toxicology, Food and Beverage Analysis, Molecular Biology, Medical Biology, and related fields that are of interest to medical laboratory technologies, such as epidemiology, health promotion, professional ethics, and laboratory management, It was first published online in October 2018 using Open Journal System (OJS) 3.1 platform with e-ISSN 2622-6111 by URL http://journal.umpr.ac.id/index.php/bjmlt. This edition contains 14 articles on Hematology, Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry, and Epidemiology. Editorial boards are fully aware that there is still room for improvement in this edition; hence with all humility, they are willing to accept constructive suggestions and feedback for improvements to the publication for the next editions. The publication of BJMLT certainly participates in disseminating the results of research and review of science and technology development conducted by lecturers and researchers from UM Palangkaraya and other universities. The editorial board would like to thank the University, all editors and reviewers, and contributors of the scientific articles who have provided the repertoire in this issue. We hope that all parties, especially the contributors of the articles, could re-participate the publication's success in the next edition in October 2024.

Plagiarism of Scientific Works Viewed from the Perspective of Criminal Law in Indonesia

The rise in acts of plagiarism of scientific work occurs due to a lack of awareness and understanding of students and academics about the ethics of scientific writing and the consequences of these actions. This research aims to describe the criteria for acts of plagiarism, legal sanctions for acts of plagiarism, efforts to resolve disputes over violations of acts of plagiarism, and strategies for preventing plagiarism in higher education. Type of normative juridical research with a statutory approach. Primary data sources include statutory regulations such as Regulation of the Minister of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia Number 17 of 2010 concerning Prevention and Management of Plagiarism in Higher Education, and Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System. Secondary data consists of research journals concerned with the legal issue of plagiarism. The research results show that the act of taking or using someone else's creative work without stating the source appropriately and adequately is considered plagiarism. Acts of plagiarism can be subject to administrative sanctions or criminal sanctions. Administrative sanctions include warnings, written warnings, and cancellation of diplomas, while criminal sanctions include imprisonment for a certain period of time and a fine. If an act of plagiarism has occurred, an attempt can be made to resolve it through mediation, but if it cannot be resolved through mediation, then criminal action can be taken. Efforts to prevent plagiarism of scientific works in higher education are carried out through plagiarism-free statements, open access publication of scientific works, and administrative sanctions.

Benefits of open access to researchers from lower-income countries: A global analysis of reference patterns in 1980–2020

The main objective of the open access (OA) movement is to make scientific literature freely available to everyone. This may be of particular importance to researchers in lower-income countries, who often face barriers due to high subscription costs. In this article, we address this issue by analysing over time the reference lists of scientific publications around the world. Our study focuses on key issues, including whether researchers from lower-income countries reference fewer publications in their research and how this trend evolves over time. We also investigate whether researchers from lower-income countries rely more on the literature that is openly available through different OA routes compared with other researchers. Our study revealed that the proportion of OA references has increased over time for all publications and country groups. However, publications from lower-income countries have seen a higher growth rate of OA-based references, suggesting that the emergence of OA publishing has been particularly advantageous to researchers in these countries.

Innovation research in and on Africa: A literature analysis in 2015–2021

Innovation scholars disseminate their significant findings through international scientific journals. We conducted content analysis of 2,869 peer-reviewed articles on innovation in Africa, examining their origins, themes, collaborative networks, and scholarly influence. These articles, spanning the years 2015–2021, were curated from the Web of Science database across scientific, social science, and humanities journals. The findings reveal that 46.3% of these articles lacked contributions from African organizations or scholars, while 25.1% involved collaborations between African and non-African entities. A remaining 28.6% were exclusively authored by African scholars, with South African universities being the most frequent contributors. Notably, articles authored by scholars from non-African institutions garnered more citations and appeared in journals with higher impact factors. Key themes within these articles revolved around the knowledge economy, African business innovation, agricultural advancements, and the role of mobile phones in knowledge dissemination and marketing. Surprisingly, sustainability topics were notably absent. South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana featured prominently in the discussions. In conclusion, it is imperative to foster broader participation from African nations and scholars in innovation research and ensure a stronger African perspective in international publications. Additionally, as open-access publishing gains momentum, concerns about escalating publishing costs warrant attention.

Societal and scientific impact of policy research: A large-scale empirical study of some explanatory factors using Altmetric and Overton

This study investigates how scientific research influences policymaking by analyzing citations of research articles in policy documents (policy impact) for nearly 125,000 articles across 434 public policy journals. We reveal distinct citation patterns between policymakers and other stakeholders like researchers, journalists, and the public. News and blog mentions, social media engagement, and open access publications (excluding fully open access) significantly increase the likelihood of a research article being cited in policy documents. Conversely, articles locked behind paywalls and those published under the full open access model (based on Altmetric data) have a lower chance of being policy-cited. Publication year and policy type show no significant influence. Our findings emphasize the crucial role of science communication channels like news media and social media in bridging the gap between research and policy. Interestingly, academic citations hold a weaker influence on policy citations compared to news mentions, suggesting a potential disconnect between how researchers reference research and how policymakers utilize it. This highlights the need for improved communication strategies to ensure research informs policy decisions more effectively. This study provides valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and science communicators. Researchers can tailor their dissemination efforts to reach policymakers through media channels. Policymakers can leverage these findings to identify research with higher policy relevance. Science communicators can play a critical role in translating research for policymakers and fostering dialogue between the scientific and policymaking communities.

Beyond open access: Book publishing in a metric culture

AbstractThis short commentary responds to Gandy's (2023) piece ‘Books under threat: Open access publishing and the neo‐liberal academy’. It argues that the requirement for open access in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grants does not mark a major turning point in academic publishing, but rather is simply the latest trend in a series of changes which have seen academic inequalities redistributed under a metric culture.

The impact of open access on citations, Pageviews, and downloads: a scientometric analysis in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

The influence of Open Access (OA) on the citation impact of scholarly articles remains a topic of considerable debate. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between OA publication and citation metrics, as well as article visibility, within the context of the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ). We conducted a retrospective analysis of 373 articles published in PMJ between 2020 and 2021. Data on OA status, citations, page views, PDF downloads, and other relevant variables were extracted from Journal Citation Reports and PMJ's official website. Multivariable linear regression and other statistical analyses were used to assess the impact of OA on these metrics. OA articles (n = 78) demonstrated significantly higher citation counts, page views, and PDF downloads compared with subscription-based articles (n = 295). Specifically, OA articles showed a significant increase in citation frequency with a β coefficient of 25.08 and a 95% CI of 17.168-32.992 (P < .001). Similarly, OA status was independently associated with increases in page views [β = 288.636, 95%CI: 177.749-399.524, P < .001] and PDF downloads [β = 118.966, 95%CI: 86.357-151.575, P < .001]. Strong correlations among total citations, page views, and PDF downloads were observed in both OA and subscription articles. The study highlights a significant and independent association of OA publishing with increased citation counts, page views, and PDF downloads in PMJ, suggesting that OA articles have broader reach and greater visibility. Further research, including randomized controlled studies across various journals, is needed to confirm these findings and explore the full impact of OA publishing.

Key developments in global scholarly publishing: Negotiating a double‐edged sword

AbstractOver the last few years, the publishing industry has experienced significant changes and developments, most of which have had a positive influence on scholarly publishing. For instance, the gradual popularity of open access publishing has contributed to the wider access and readership of published materials. Also, the recent development in the abilities of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the publication process is laudable for its potential. The gradual shift from print to online publication is also a commendable development in global publishing. Not without their own challenges, these developments, among others, have mostly impacted global publishing in a positive way. In the current study, the researchers' argument stems from the notion that although these developments are invaluable, there are accompanying impediments that publishing professionals as well as publishing outlets must consider. In response to these developments, role‐players in the publishing industry must constantly reassess their publishing processes in order to carefully manage and negotiate what is termed by this study as a ‘double‐edged sword’ (capable of having positive and negative consequences). This study reviews existing studies, draws views from publishing experts, and seeks opinions from scholars to establish methods of negotiating some of the key developments in global publishing.

Virtual reality-guided mindfulness for chronic pain in cancer survivors: protocol for the virtual mind study-a single-group feasibility trial.

Chronic cancer-related pain (CRP) can have a significant negative impact on quality of life. Mindfulness is hypothesized to mitigate chronic CRP by regulating both physical and emotional resistance to pain. In recent years, there has been interest in the use of virtual reality (VR) to deliver mindfulness meditation. VR provides an immersive and engaging environment, which may enhance one's focused attention to present-moment experiences, potentially making mindfulness less effortful and more efficacious for individuals with chronic pain. There has been little research in this area for people with a history of cancer. The aim of this mixed methods study is to evaluate the feasibility of a VR-guided mindfulness (VRGM) intervention offered to adult cancer survivors with chronic CRP. This mixed methods feasibility study will employ a single-arm, pretest-posttest design with semistructured interviews. In total, 15 cancer survivors will be enrolled in a 6-week home-based intervention that consists of 10-15 min of daily VRGM practice. The primary outcome is feasibility as assessed by accrual rates, retention in the study, intervention adherence, questionnaire completion, and side effect rates. Participants will be assessed on psychosocial outcome measures (i.e., pain, sleep, depressive and anxiety symptoms, fatigue, quality of life, and mindfulness) before and after the intervention, and 6 weeks post intervention (follow-up). Changes in pain will be described in relation to levels of immersion and presence in the virtual environment, trait mindfulness, and amount of VRGM practice. Qualitative information will provide subjective detail on participants' experience with VRGM to complement quantitative data. This study has been approved by the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta Cancer Committee (HREBA.CC-20-0411). This novel intervention provides a potential alternative treatment to pharmacological pain management. Results from this study may inform future larger VGRM trials for chronic CRP to help reduce suffering in people with cancer. Study findings will be disseminated through open access publications, traditional conference presentations, professional cancer organizations, and social media platforms.

Open Access Publication in Total Ankle Arthroplasty Literature Is Associated With Increased Social Media Attention, but Not Increased Citations.

Open access (OA) publications are increasingly common in orthopaedic literature. However, whether OA publications are associated with increased readership or citations among total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) literature is unclear. We hypothesize that compared with non-OA status, OA status is associated with increased social media dissemination, and readership, but not with citation count. This study aimed to analyze social media attention, citations, readership, and cost of TAA OA and non-OA publications. Using a PubMed query search, there were 368 publications from 81 journals, with 25% (91/368) being OA articles and 75% (277/368) non-OA articles from 2016 to 2023. We analyzed the Altmetric Attention Score (AAS), Mendeley readership score, and citations between OA vs non-OA articles. Citations and cost of OA articles were determined using an altered timeline and publisher's website, respectively. Subgroup analysis was performed among articles published in the top 5 TAA journals (Tables 2 and 3). Negative binomial regression was used while adjusting for days since publication. Significance was considered at P <.05. OA publication was associated with a larger mean AAS score (8.7 ± 37.0 vs 4.8 ± 26.3), Mendeley readership (42.4 ± 41.6 vs 34.9 ± 25.7), and Twitter mentions (4.6 ± 7.4 vs 3.3 ± 8.1), but not citations (19.7 ± 24.8 vs 20.3 ± 23.5) (Table 1). TAA OA publications and top 5 journals were associated with significantly increased social media attention but not Mendeley readership or citation counts.