1. QUALITY
OF GREY LITERATURE
IN THE OPEN ACCESS ERA:
PRIVILEGE AND RESPONSIBILITY
Paola De Castro, Sandra Salinetti
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome (Italy)
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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2. I will talk about…
• The grey nuances:
from past to present
• The Internet “sea change”:
where is the privilege?
• The Internet challenge:
where does the responsibility lay?
• Why does editorial quality become so relevant
in the open access era?
• The experience of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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3. THE GREY NUANCES…
Old or new scenarios?
1 OLD CHARACTERISTICS
• issuing organizations
• documents types
• value vs costs
• presentation
• no referee process
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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4. THE GREY NUANCES…
Old or new scenarios?
2 NEW CHARACTERISTICS
information retrieval
document availability
awareness
document types…
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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5. NEW TYPES OF GL…
in the Internet
E-prints
FAQs
Power Point Presentations:
BMJ topics (“Talks”)
Supercourse in epidemiology
etc.
NEW TYPES
OF OPEN LITERATURE?
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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6. DEATH OR METAMORPHOSIS
of biomedical journals?
Ronald La Porte. BMJ 1995, 2002
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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7. GL METAMORPHOSIS
Bug or butterfly?
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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8. THE INTERNET “SEA CHANGE”
in the information market
INFORMATION AVAILABILITY
Increasing responsibility
for producers and users
Reaching unpredictable targets
ADDING CONFUSION?
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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9. THE INTERNET
Where is the privilege?
Different areas of privileges regard:
SCIENTIFIC
Y
COMMUNIT PRODU
CERS
Users
Producers
Scientific community
USER
S Progress
PROGRE
SS
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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10. THE INTERNET
Where is the privilege?
PRODUCERS Duplication costs
Shipping charges
Immediate availability
Publication run
No photocopies
Deposit spaces
Hyperlinks
Unexpected dissemination
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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11. THE INTERNET
Where is the privilege?
USERS Online availability
Increase in information offer
Hyperlinks
Immediate feedback
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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12. THE INTERNET
illusion
Puzzling users
Misleading potential readers
WHEN?
Source and target are not identified
URLs change
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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13. THE INTERNET CHALLENGE
Where does the responsibility lay?
WHO
WHAT
WHY
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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14. WHO
is responsible?
WHO WHAT WHY
Authors
Issuing organizations
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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15. WHAT
responsibility?
WHO WHAT WHY
Content revision
Presentation technical editing
readability
retrieval
Usability position on the web
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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16. WHY
does the responsibility increase?
WHO WHAT WHY
Target no more limited
Misinterpretation
Issue and select correct
and appropriate information
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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17. RELEVANCE
of editorial support
It guarantees quality and retrieval
FAIR
USE UNIFORM
ENTS
UNI-ISO REQUIREM
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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18. STANDARDS
for GL presentation: which role?
Improvement of editorial quality
Better understanding
Easy readability
Guarantee of retrieval
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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19. STANDARDS
for GL presentation: past milestones?
Technical reports (ISO 5966/82)
Thesis (ISO 7144/86)
Abstract (ISO 214/76)
ISBN (ISO 2108/78)
ISSN (ISO 3297/86)
ISRN (ISO 10444/94)
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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20. ISO 5966/82
Is it out-dated?
The standard was withdrawn, in fact…
“ The presentation of mathematics shall follow
conventional practices. It is, therefore, often preferable
to use CAREFUL HANDWRITING rather than to attempt
to reproduce mathematical notations on a conventional
TYPEWRITER. However, when special printing,
typewriting, or drafting facilities are available for the
preparation of mathematical notations, these should
always be used.
but… ”
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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21. ISO 5966/82
A useful lesson from the past
Elements of the first page
Abstract
Document structure
Indexes
Report numbering
Quantities, units and symbols
etc.
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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22. TECHNOLOGIES
help, but …
Authors should learn how to use them
properly for:
Definition of hierarchical levels
use of styles
creation of TOC or index
Orthographic control
Automatic translation
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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23. STRATEGIES
for a better GL quality
GOAL Appropriate dissemination
and use of information
HOW Training courses on scientific writing
Self-learning facilities
Tutorial assistance
EMPOWERMENT
OF AUTHORS
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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24. SCIENTIFIC WRITING
Example of a basic training course
PROGRAMME
Editorial channels and document types
Evaluation parameters of the editorial products
Actors of the editorial process
How to organize information in a document
Editing tables and graphs
Bibliographic references
Tables of contents, indexes and abstract DOCUME
NTO
Levels of technical editing
Copyright issues
Useful “editorial” Internet sites
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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25. TECHNICAL EDITING
Whose responsibility?
Responsibility is shared by
authors and issuing organization.
MAIN GOALS
Check: policy
consistency
completeness
accuracy
integrity
understanding
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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26. TECHNICAL EDITING
Three levels
According to the CSE:
1. RUSH edit
2. STANDARD edit
3. REVISION edit
They all consider:
technical content
typical aspects of revision editing
(language, grammar, format and style)
BUT at each level
ATTENTION
increases
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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27. TECHNICAL EDITING
Which level?
The choice depends on:
document type
target
times
budget
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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28. RUSH EDIT
What to check
2 3
1
It has three areas
of focus:
Policy
Technical content
Copyediting
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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29. STANDARD EDIT
Deeper attention
Organization
of figures and tables, 2 3
1 4
readibility of captions
Capital letters
5
References
Syntax, grammar
7 6
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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30. REVISION EDIT
Further attention
Hierarchical levels 2 3
1 4
Balance
Unnecessary material 5
Coeherence in style
Fluent and concise language
7 6
9 8
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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31. TECHNICAL EDITING
Where is the difference in GL?
Open literature
Peer-review
Editorial revision
Grey literature
No peer-review
Internal/personal revision only
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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32. ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITÀ
Rome
TECHNICAL SCIENTIFIC BODY
of the National Health Service in Italy
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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33. ISTITUTO SUPERIORE
DI SANITÀ
Mission Research
Trials and controls
Technical advice
Information,
documentation
and training
in PUBLIC HEALTH
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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34. ISS PUBLICATIONS
Today
Annali
dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità
Notiziario
dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità
Rapporti ISTISAN
ISTISAN Congressi
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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35. ANNALI
dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità
Official REFEREED journal
since 1938.
It publishes in Italian and English:
original articles
reviews
monographs
short notes
in different fields of public health.
It is included in MEDLINE, Chemabs,
Excerpa Medica, etc.
Online since 2001 It is distributed by ISS and IPZS.
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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36. NOTIZIARIO
dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità
NEWSLETTER, born in 1988
recently re-organized in 2003.
It includes
Italian Epidemiological Bulletin.
Authors are mainly ISS researchers.
Editorial staff
Notiziario
Online since 1996, Authors
distributed by ISS
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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37. RAPPORTI ISTISAN
and ISTISAN Congressi
Technical and research reports
produced since 1977.
Authors are mainly ISS researchers.
Editorial staff
Rapporti
Online since 2001, Authors
distributed by ISS
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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38. ISS PUBLICATIONS
GL vs open literature and online publications
7
6
5
4
GL
n. series
open literature
3 online public ations
2
1
0
1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
years
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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39. EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE
at the ISS
PUBLICATION PRODUCTION
Paper copy
traditional distribution channels
Internet availability
PDF – HTML (few links)
PUBLICATION DISSEMINATION
mailing lists
inclusion in databases
COURSES ON SCIENTIFIC WRITING
improvement of quality in publication
semplification of editorial work
empowerment of authors
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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40. INTERNET DATABASES
containing ISS report production
SPECIALIZED DATABASES
SIGLE
NTIS
CAS
etc.
ONLINE CATALOGUES
Locator plus of NLM
British Library
etc.
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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41. GL NEW LOOK
in 2003
Where is the border line?
Pre-print e-print
book?
Report e-book?
Newsletter journal?
e-
journal?
GL or
OPEN LITERATURE?
or viceversa?
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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42. FUTURE UNCERTAINTY
La Porte R, et al. BMJ 2002,375:21-9
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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43. NEW INITIATIVES
for open access
Budapest (BOAI)
Biomed Central
SPARC
PLOS
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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44. 25 YEARS AFTER YORK …
What has the Internet changed?
Bulk of information INCREASED
Awareness of GL UNDISCUSSED
Growing interest in GL UNPRECEDENTED
GL access NEW
GL availability UNLIMITED
Differences GL/open LESS EVIDENT
literature
Report code vs URL or DOI MORE USEFUL
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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45. IN CONCLUSION,
GL…
has now new dignity
becomes closer and closer to innovative scientific
publications supported by researchers in view
of a generalised movement towards OPEN ACCESS
The nuances of grey are becoming lighter and lighter.
ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY
of producing and issuing quality documents
can never be disregarded.
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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46. FINAL
reflection…
“ We hope that the age of “mental delusion”
has passed, and that mystery and
concealment will no longer be encouraged.
Thomas Wakley, 1823
first editor of The Lancet
”
GL5 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Amsterdam 4-5 December 2003
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