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Visual representations of data are widely used for communication and understanding, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, despite their importance, many people have difficulty understanding data-based visualizations. This work presents a series of three studies that examine how understanding time-based Earth-science data visualizations are influenced by scale and the different directions time can be represented (e.g., the Geologic Time Scale represents time moving from bottom-to-top, whereas many calendars represent time moving left-to-right). In Study 1, 316 visualizations from two top scholarly geoscience journals were analyzed for how time was represented. These expert-made graphs represented time in a range of ways, with smaller timescales more likely to be represented as moving left-to-right and larger scales more likely to be represented in other directions. In Study 2, 47 STEM novices were recruited from an undergraduate psychology experiment pool and asked to construct four separate graphs representing change over two scales of time (Earth's history or a single day) and two phenomena (temperature or sea level). Novices overwhelmingly represented time moving from left-to-right, regardless of scale. In Study 3, 40 STEM novices were shown expert-made graphs where the direction of time varied. Novices had difficulty interpreting the expert-made graphs when time was represented moving in directions other than left-to-right. The study highlights the importance of considering representations of time and scale in STEM education and offers insights into how experts and novices approach visualizations. The findings inform the development of educational resources and strategies to improve students' understanding of scientific concepts where time and space are intrinsically related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue aims to sketch the present state of maker learning research, reveal possible tensions, and present future possibilities to articulate principles for learning through design in the era of maker education. The special issue was announced in 2022 in ETR&D, a leading academic journal in educational technology. Of the 50 submissions to the special issue, eighteen (18) were accepted for publication. The editors favored a robust inclusion of papers to help define the contours of the field at present. Four clusters of topics are identified in this collection of papers: (i) STEM+ disciplinary and transdisciplinary learning spaces; (ii) Digital technologies in making, opportunities and challenges; (iii) Assessment practices and frameworks; (iv) Representation, inclusion, and tensions around maker-centered initiatives and reforms. The editors of the special issue believe that these clusters reflect the current state-of-the-art in the field as well as significant questions to guide near future research. Reflecting on these papers but also the overall editorial process, the editors identified several opportunities and provide suggestions on how the field might expand moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the unconsolidated cryptocurrency literature, with a systematic literature review focused on cryptocurrency market microstructure. We searched Web of Science database and focused only on journals listed on 2021 ABS list. Our final sample comprises 138 research papers. We employed a quantitative and an integrative analysis, and revealed complex network associations, and a detailed research trending analysis. Our study provides a robust and systematic contribution to cryptocurrency literature by making use of a powerful and accurate methodology—the bibliographic coupling, also by only considering ABS academic journals, using a wider keyword scope, and not enforcing any restrictions regarding areas of knowledge, thus enhancing the contribution of extant literature by allowing the insights of more high-quality peripheral studies on the subject. The conclusions of this study are of extreme importance for researchers, investors, regulators, and the academic community in general. Our study provides high structured networking and clear information for research outlets and literature strands, for future studies on cryptocurrency investment, it also presents valuable insights to better understand the cryptocurrency market microstructure and deliver helpful information for regulators to effectively regulate cryptocurrencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social media (SoMe) use, in all of its forms, has seen massively increased throughout the past two decades, including academic publishing. Many journals have established a SoMe presence, yet the influence of promotion of scientific publications on their visibility and impact remains poorly studied. The European Journal of Neurosurgery «Acta Neurochirurgica» has established its SoMe presence in form of a Twitter account that regularly promotes its publications. We aim to analyze the impact of this initial SoMe campaign on various alternative metrics (altmetrics). Methods: A retrospective analysis of all articles published in the journal Acta Neurochirurgica between May 1st, 2018, and April 30th, 2020, was performed. These articles were divided into a historical control group — containing the articles published between May 1st, 2018, and April 30th, 2019, when the SoMe campaign was not yet established — and into an intervention group. Several altmetrics were analyzed, along with website visits and PDF downloads per month. Results: In total, 784 articles published during the study period, 128 (16.3%) were promoted via Twitter. During the promotion period, 29.7% of published articles were promoted. Overall, the published articles reached a mean of 31.3 ± 50.5 website visits and 17.5 ± 31.25 PDF downloads per month. Comparing the two study periods, no statistically significant differences in website visits (26.91 ± 32.87 vs. 34.90 ± 61.08, p = 0.189) and PDF downloads (17.52 ± 31.25 vs. 15.33 ± 16.07, p = 0.276) were detected. However, overall compared to non-promoted articles, promoted articles were visited (48.9 ± 95.0 vs. 29.0 ± 37.0, p = 0.005) and downloaded significantly more (25.7 ± 66.7 vs. 16.6 ± 18.0, p = 0.045) when compared to those who were not promoted during the promotion period. Conclusions: We report a 1-year initial experience with promotion of a general neurosurgical journal on Twitter. Our data suggest a clear benefit of promotion on article site visits and article downloads, although no single responsible element could be determined in terms of altmetrics. The impact of SoMe promotion on other metrics, including traditional bibliometrics such as citations and journal impact factor, remains to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research aims to evaluate the publication of scholarly journals in Lithuania, a small-language country, by analyzing the owners and publishers of scholarly journals. The results show that, since 1990, the publishing of Lithuanian scholarly journals has grown significantly: 225 scholarly journals were published in Lithuania by 73 different publishers in 2020. Social publishers, mostly state-funded universities, scientific institutes and colleges still held the largest market share of scholarly journals, but commercial publishers also appeared and started to make a business out of publishing scholarly journals. The analyzed data on publishers show that Lithuanian publishers have tried to take over and reorganize a number of scholarly journals from the Soviet era, while adapting to the dynamically changing world of scholarly publishing and moving from simple product sales models of the twentieth century to new digital ecosystems of the twenty-first-century age in which the essential distribution of publications is carried out digitally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently published Springer Brief in cultural psychology presents theoretical and empirical advances on inner speech. The editor Pablo Fossa suggests viewing inner speech as a private area to remember, play and dream, rather than a mere psychological function connected to problem solving. Along the lines of this suggestion, I adopt a playful approach in order to review the volume. Rather than delivering results of an analysis, I invite us to use the academic journal platform to take part in a dialogical encounter. In the first part of this essay, I offer a transparent step-by-step process of researcher's positioning, based on remembering and playing. In the second part, I dream of research methodologies, which would allow us to explore inner speech as dynamic movements experienced by whole and dialogical beings. This experiment, in which I enact my inner speech on the academic stage, eventually lets three key-moments of Fossa's book come forward as gamechangers for future inquiries: 1. The importance of hearing one's voice in audio-diary based research, 2. the shift of attention towards experiential contexts of inner speech (such as bodily sensations or felt knowledge), and 3. the notion of thirdness as a meta-position, pointing at the mutual permeability of reflective and pre-reflective realms of inner speech. This performing review is inspired by a theatre-based practice called Dialogical Acting with the Inner Partners and represents an original contribution to researcher's self-reflexive positioning practices, as well as to inner speech qualitative research methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) ranks journals into four quartiles (Q1–Q4). SJR serves as a safelist for journal selection, when trying to avoid predatory journals, as journals that have been indexed by SJR are seen as having stringent publishing standards. An AI-based tool, the Academic Journal Predatory Checking System (AJPC), claims to be able to differentiate suspected predatory journals from normal journals. In this study, we asked (25 March 2023) AJPC to classify the top 2500 journals (based on SJR ranking). We found that 65.64% of these journals were classified as "suspected predatory", 33.28% were classified as "normal", while 1.08% of the journals could not be classified. A follow-up run (30 March 2023) returned different results (89.20%, 10.16% and 0.64%). This set of results is worrying, not only because of the number of SJR journals that are thought to be "predatory", but also because of the difference in results when using the same tool a matter of days apart. We extended our analysis and looked at seven stand-alone publishers (Elsevier, Frontiers, MDPI, OMICS, Springer Nature (incl. Nature Portfolio), Taylor & Francis and Wiley). In total, we asked AJPC to classify 17,721 journals. The results confirm that we should be concerned about the classifications provided by AJPC. For example, 100% (4756) of Elsevier journals were classified as "suspected predatory". Even Springer Nature (which includes the journal that published the AJPC paper) has journals which were classified at "suspected predatory". We thus urge caution against relying on AJPC at present. We also urge the AJPC's authors to provide an explanation as to why a journal is classified in a particular way, as part of their user interface. We are willing to conduct further analyses should AJPC be revised and updated as it could provide an important service to the scholarly community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For several years, experts have warned about the lack of diversity in genetic research databases, and researchers have devoted time and resources to recruiting subjects from underrepresented subgroups. In this study, we review published reports in academic journals of genetic studies of Alzheimer's disease to note whether demographic diversity was indicated in the reports and, if so, the extent of representation of non-European subjects over the period from 1997 to 2022. We use multivariate regression analysis to analyze changes over time and to explain variation across studies. Our analysis indicates that reported diversity has not changed over time. Rather, it appears to have remained relatively constant, since Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWASs) were first used in the 1990s. We find most variation to be across journals rather than within journals, suggesting that characteristics of journals are an important influence on the dissemination of research with diverse samples. Lack of racial diversity in genetic databases used to develop clinical applications could lead to disparities in the effectiveness of those applications for underrepresented groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Makerspaces are gaining popularity in the educational activities of all age groups, from primary schools to higher education institutions, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Due to makerspaces' hands-on learning approach, it is generally believed that learning in makerspaces influences students' creative and thinking skills. Experiments have been performed to explore this relationship; however, they are limited to a particular type of makerspace and address only some aspects of creativity. Therefore, using a systematic literature review (SLR) approach, we attempted to understand the relationship between makerspaces and creativity in the context of STEM education. The SLR offers a holistic view of makerspaces fostering four aspects of creativity from primary to higher education. This SLR used three primary categories of terms in its search string: (i) makerspace and associated terms, (ii) creativity and innovation, and (iii) variants of the term "STEM." Using the Summon meta-database, we searched 103 digital databases (including Scopus, IEEE, and ASEE). The initial search considered peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles and conference proceedings focusing on STEM disciplines published from 2000 to August 2021. After following the PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews, 34 relevant papers remained eligible for inclusion. The selected papers were analyzed using thematic analysis. Various types of makerspaces show empirical evidence of fostering creativity. This review additionally identifies seven factors that foster creativity in a makerspace environment. These findings will be beneficial for applying makerspace tools and interventions to enhance creativity in the context of STEM disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers three contributions to the burgeoning movements of AI for Social Good (AI4SG) and AI and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). First, we introduce the SDG-Intense Evaluation framework (SDGIE) that aims to situate variegated automated/AI models in a larger ecosystem of computational approaches to advance the SDGs. To foster knowledge collaboration for solving complex social and environmental problems encompassed by the SDGs, the SDGIE framework details a benchmark structure of data-algorithm-output to effectively standardize AI approaches to the SDGs. Second, as a specific instantiation of the SDGIE framework, the SDG Impact Intensity Model (SDGIIM) is theoretically and operationally established. SDGIIM embeds expert decision-making and SDG keyword banks in textual data processing to determine overall SDG "impact intensity." Ideally, SDGIIM can be applied to textual data sets from any sector or discipline: academia, business, government, non-profit, civil society, etc. Third, the SDGIIM instantiation is applied to the specific domain of academic journal rating systems as a case study. Traditionally, academic journals have been evaluated on loosely conceived and empirically shaky notions of 'quality.' Aligned with the trend of AI4SG and broader calls to action, 'impact' is rapidly becoming the primary normative consideration for assessing academic journals. We hypothesize and demonstrate that SDGIIM is capable of producing evaluations aligned with experts' expectations of SDG impact intensity; the consistent analysis and rating of textual data sets that embody the SDGs with varying degrees of meaning and, ultimately, promote positive impact on the actual material conditions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the question of whether graduate students should be allowed to serve as peer reviewers for academic journals. The author shares their personal experience of being asked to review a prestigious journal while still working on their dissertation, and how they understood the decision not to allow them to review. The author also mentions that there have been requests to allow graduate students to review manuscripts, and presents arguments for and against this idea. Ultimately, the author concludes that graduate students should not be allowed to review for academic journals, as completing a terminal degree is an essential qualification for peer reviewers. However, the author acknowledges the value of graduate students' opinions and the importance of mentoring them in the peer review process. [Extracted from the article]

The growing number of online open-access journals promotes academic exchanges, but the prevalence of predatory journals is undermining the scholarly reporting process. Data collection, feature extraction, and model prediction are common steps in tools designed to distinguish between legitimate and predatory academic journals and publisher websites. The authors include them in their proposed academic journal predatory checking (AJPC) system based on machine learning methods. The AJPC data collection process extracts 833 blacklists and 1213 whitelists information from websites to be used for identifying words and phrases that might indicate the presence of predatory journals. Feature extraction is used to identify words and terms that help detect predatory websites, and the system's prediction stage uses eight classification algorithms to distinguish between potentially predatory and legitimate journals. We found that enhancing the classification efficiency of the bag of words model and TF-IDF algorithm with diff scores (a measure of differences in specific word frequencies between journals) can assist in identifying predatory journal feature words. Results from performance tests suggest that our system works as well as or better than those currently being used to identify suspect publishers and publications. The open system only provides reference results rather than absolute opinions and accepts user inquiries and feedback to update the system and optimize performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, it is evident that there is a surge in photovoltaic (PV) systems installations on buildings. It is concerning that PV system related fire incidents have been reported throughout the years. Like any other electrical power system, PV systems pose fire and electrical hazards when at fault. As a consequence, PV fires compromised the safety of emergency responders. Therefore, the objective of this review is to evaluate the elements of firefighters' safety practices and subsequently collate the best safety practices for local fire rescue and firefighters in the event of PV fires. Out of 264 documents, only 20 publications were identified as 'closely related' and were systematically reviewed to evaluate firefighter safety practices from a scholarly perspective. Only 3% of the 20 publications reviewed, discussed the safety practices during PV fires. Thirteen safety practice key points were extracted from the reviewed documents, with nine critical findings highlighted as the hallmark of safety practices during PV fire for firefighters. The lack of academic journals discussing the fire safety aspects proves that there is a low interest in this field which is in dire need of further study and exploration to adhere with the PV population in ensuring a reliable emergency operation to minimize losses or injuries due to accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the increasing use of statistical approaches in non-parametric efficiency studies. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Free Disposable Hull (FDH) are recognized as standard non-parametric methods developed in the field of operations research. Kneip et al. (Econom Theory, 14:783–793, 1998) and Park et al. (Econom Theory, 16:855–877, 2000) develop statistical properties of the variable returns-to-scale (VRS) version of DEA estimators and FDH estimators, respectively. Simar & Wilson (Manag Sci 44, 49–61, 1998) show that conventional bootstrap methods cannot provide valid inference in the context of DEA or FDH estimators and introduce a smoothed bootstrap for use with DEA or FDH efficiency estimators. By doing so, they address the main drawback of non-parametric models as being deterministic and without a statistical interpretation. Since then, many articles have applied this innovative approach to examine efficiency and productivity in various fields while providing confidence interval estimates to gauge uncertainty. Despite this increasing research attention and significant theoretical and methodological developments in its first two decades, a specific and comprehensive bibliometric analysis of bootstrap DEA/FDH literature and subsequent statistical approaches is still missing. This paper thus, aims to provide an extensive overview of the key articles and their impact in the field. Specifically, in addition to some summary statistics such as citations, the most influential academic journals and authorship network analysis, we review the methodological developments as well as the pertinent software applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2023, we conducted a virtual program to introduce early-career researchers to the fundamentals of academic journal editing. Here, we reflect on the mission of this program and its outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Paper mills" are unethical outsourcing agencies proficient in fabricating fraudulent manuscripts submitted to scholarly journals. In earlier years, the activity of such companies involved plagiarism, but their processes have gained complexity, involving the fabrication of images and fake results. The objective of this study is to examine the main features of retracted paper mills' articles registered in the Retraction Watch database, from inception to the present, analyzing the number of articles per year, their number of citations, and their authorship network. Eligibility criteria for inclusion: retracted articles in any language due to paper mill activity. Retraction letters, notes, and notices, for exclusion. We collected the associated citations and the journals' impact factors of the retracted papers from Web of Science (Clarivate) and performed a data network analysis using VOSviewer software. This scoping review complies with PRISMA 2020 statement and main extensions. After a thorough analysis of the data, we identified 325 retracted articles due to suspected operations published in 31 journals (with a mean impact factor of 3.1). These retractions have produced 3708 citations. Nearly all retracted papers have come from China. Journal's impact factor lower than 7, life sciences journals, cancer, and molecular biology topics were common among retracted studies. The rapid increase of retractions is highly challenging. Paper mills damage scientific research integrity, exacerbating fraud, plagiarism, fake images, and simulated results. Rheumatologists should be fully aware of this growing phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the determinants of quality, quantity, impact, and excellence of the research produced by the most productive and the highly cited researchers of Pakistan. The study also presented the profile of these impactful and the most prolific researchers of Pakistan. 134 highly cited and the most productive researchers constitute a group of PERs (Pakistani elite researchers). This group of elite researchers produced one-fourth of the country's scholarly research and received 40% citations' share over the period of study, from 2009 to 2018. Based on its findings the study provided multiple policy recommendations for researchers, research institutes, policy-makers, the government of Pakistan, and the administrators of universities. The study recommended the researchers to collaborate internationally and publish their research in good quality and open access journals for greater visibility and impact. The study further recommended enhancing the academic-corporate collaboration for user insight-based research. The study found that Islamabad based academic institutions have employed almost half of the elite researchers while the rest half of these researchers are affiliated with the institutions of the rest of the whole country. The majority of the journals publishing scholarly output of Pakistani elite researchers are based in the USA and European countries. Only 12 (0.32%) journals belonged to Pakistan. Besides international collaboration, industry collaboration was in place for this group of elite researchers. The key determinants of research quantity/quality, impact, and excellence were publications published in 1st and 2nd journals quartiles, journals having impact factor/citescore, open access publications, and international collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: After the approval of a new drug, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may issue postmarketing requirements (PMRs), studies that the law requires manufacturers to conduct for drugs approved under certain conditions, and postmarketing commitments (PMCs), studies that the FDA and manufacturers agree should be conducted as a condition of approval. Objective: With regulators' increasing reliance on gathering important evidence after initial product approval, we sought to assess the track record of PMRs and PMCs by synthesizing information about postmarketing study completion rates, timeliness, study types, and results reporting. Methods: A systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. Studies published in academic journals or government reports that reported original data about the characteristics of PMRs or PMCs were included. Studies of post-approval trial mandates issued by regulators outside the USA were excluded, as were those that addressed post-approval research without mentioning either PMCs or PMRs or a specific approval pathway associated with statutorily required PMRs. Two investigators independently screened and extracted data from studies and reports. Data sources included the Federal Register from 2003 to 2020, FDA backlog reviews from 2008 to 2020, PubMed from January 2006 to April 2021, and the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) database for reports from January 2006 to April 2021. PMR/PMC characteristics (e.g., completion rates, timeliness, results reporting, outcomes) were not meta-analyzed due to the heterogeneity in study designs. Results: Twenty-seven peer-reviewed articles from PubMed, five GAO reports, 17 annual Federal Register notices, and 12 annual backlog reviews were included. Among the 27 studies, 13 reviewed PMRs and PMCs, one reviewed only PMCs, and 13 reviewed only PMRs. A majority of new drugs were approved with at least one PMR or PMC. PMCs were completed at higher rates than PMRs, although delays were common and neither was found to be completed more than two-thirds of the time. Over two-thirds of PMRs and PMCs reported their findings in publications and trial registries. Over half of PMCs and PMRs produced novel information for clinical practice or leading to regulatory action, such as confirmation of benefit or a labeling change. Conclusion: PMRs and PMCs are common for new drugs and can lead to worthwhile outcomes, but are often delayed or incomplete. Greater attention is needed to timely completion, improving transparency of findings, and ensuring that PMRs and PMCs produce optimally useful information for prescribers and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer-review of manuscripts submitted to scholarly journals for publication dates back ~ 350 years and this process represents the foundation of scientific publishing. After a manuscript has undergone and survived a rigorous peer-review, this conveys a stamp of approval, because it signifies the work has been checked by independent experts in the scientific discipline concerned. The publication and citation track records of people instructed to appear as expert witness in civil and criminal litigation are important considerations. Using a publically available database, the most highly cited scientists in the discipline legal and forensic medicine were identified. For each scientist, a composite score was calculated based on six different citation metrics; (i) Total number of citations, (ii) H-index, (iii) Hm-index, which modifies the H-index for multi-authored papers, (iv) Citations to single-author papers, (v) Citations to single and first author papers and (vi) citations to single, first and last author papers. The top 100,000 most highly cited scientists from all disciplines were identified along with the top 2% of the most highly cited in each of 176 sub-fields. The latest version of the citation databases, up to the end of 2020, classified 14.163 people as having legal and forensic medicine as their primary research discipline. Of these, there were 29 names listed among the top 100,000 most highly cited in all disciplines and 299 were among the top cited 2% in their particular sub-field. More than 50% of the highly cited forensic practitioners resided in four countries (USA, Germany, UK and Australia). The top-ten most highly cited individuals were the same in all four versions of the database (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020) and represented the sub-disciplines of toxicology (n = 3), genetics/DNA/heredity (n = 3), whereas two specialized in pathology/toxicology and two in pathology/genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has increased substantially over the past decade. One of the risk factors for IGD includes poor impulse control. The present study comprises the first ever systematic review of studies examining the relationship between IGD and impusivity utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search was conducted via EBSCO (which included the following academic databases: Academic Search Complete, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO), PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library. The inclusion criteria were (i) publication date between 2000 and 2019, (ii) being an empirical study that collected primary data, (iii) written in English and Turkish languages (the two languages spoken by the authors), (iv) published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal, and (v) conducted an objective assessment of both IGD and impulsivity. Following these procedures, 33 eligible empirical studies remained for evaluation in the present review comprising 18,128 participants in total. Results demonstrated that despite many methodological weaknesses, 32 studies reported a positive association between impulsivity and IGD. Possible explanations for this consistent finding appear to indicate that altered neurobiological structures detected in participants with impulsivity may explain some of the relationships between impulsivity and internet gaming disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Engaging influential stakeholders in meaningful exchange is essential for pharmaceutical companies aiming to improve care. At a time where opportunities for face-to-face engagement are limited, the ability to interact, learn and generate actionable insights through digital channels such as Twitter, is of considerable value. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate digital engagement among global diabetes mellitus researchers. Materials and Methods: We identified every global tweet (20,614,515) and scientific publication (44,135) regarding diabetes mellitus from 1 August 2018 to 1 August 2020. Through author matching we combined datasets, resulting in a list of digitally active scientific authors. Generalised linear modelling identified factors predicting their digital engagement. Findings: Globally, 2686 diabetes researchers used Twitter to discuss the management of diabetes mellitus, posting 110,346 diabetes-related tweets. As Twitter followers increased, so did tweet frequency (p < 0.001), retweets (p < 0.001) and replies (p < 0.001) to their content. Publication count (overall/per month) and proportion of first/last authorships were unrelated to tweet frequency and the likelihood of being retweeted or replied to (p > 0.05). Those with the most academic co-authors were significantly less likely to tweet than those with smaller networks (< 50; p = 0.001). Finally, those publishing most frequently on specific themes, including insulin (p = 0.041) and paediatrics (p < 0.001), were significantly more likely to tweet about these themes. Conclusion: Academic expertise and seniority cannot be assumed as proxies for digital influence. Those aiming to promote science and obtain digital insights regarding condition management should consider looking beyond well-known 'key opinion leaders' to perhaps lesser known 'digital opinion leaders' with smaller academic networks, who are likely to specialise in the delivery of highly specific content to captive audiences. Plain Language Summary: Traditionally, research scientists and clinical experts in any field make their opinions and expertise known by writing academic journal papers. After successful peer review, they are accepted and made publicly available. However, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, more scientific information has been shared and discussed using digital platforms such as Twitter than ever before, setting the stage for their greater role in scientific discussions in the future. It is important that the pharmaceutical industry is aware of this shift as it may offer up new insights and opportunities. Using diabetes as a test case, we compared researchers' publishing activity with their Twitter activity over a 2-year period. We found that less established researchers who are less well-known in their fields, and with less publications to their name, are far more likely to be active in sharing valuable scientific content to large Twitter audiences. This makes them 'opinion leaders' even if they would not be thought of as such in a traditional, academic sense, suggesting that those who look only to high-ranking academic journals, and those who publish within them, may be missing an important and ever-increasing part of the conversation. This is the first ever study to compare digital and traditional publishing activities and highlights the potential of this approach to gain novel and valuable knowledge about specific topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For most individuals, videogame playing is a fun and enjoyable activity that brings many benefits. However, for a small minority, the activity can be problematic and has led to much research into "gaming disorder." In explanations concerning the contributory factors to gaming disorder, personality traits have been increasingly studied. The present paper carried out a systematic review of available literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The inclusion criteria were (i) publication date between 2000 and 2018, (ii) being an empirical study, (iii) written in English and Turkish languages (the two languages spoken by the authors), (iv) published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal, and (v) conducted an assessment of IGD and personality traits objectively. Studies were excluded from the review if they were (i) single-case studies, (ii) unpublished thesis and dissertation studies, and (iii) not published in a peer-reviewed journal. Following these procedures, 21 eligible empirical studies were included. Results demonstrated that 24 distinct personality traits had been examined in relation to IGD and that some of these traits were demonstrated as risk factors for gaming addiction (although not always in the same direction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author considers the history of the journal "Sex Roles" and how the scholarly journal has changed over its 46 year history of publication. She considers her own ideas on feminism, the journal's aims and scope, how gender has historically been embedded in society and cultural shifts that have seen social change, the interrelationship between gender and intersectionality, and social constructs of gender which embrace masculine, feminine, and binary outlooks.

Book reviews are an indicator of information and knowledge flow. This study explores and discusses the importance of disciplinary cultures among academic disciplines and disciplinary influence. Utilizing book reviews in disciplinary publications in history for the years 2016–2020, from two canonical history databases, a bibliometric view emerging of a selection of subjects reviewed in journals not associated with the disciplinary subject of research. Examination of book reviews for the fluidity of knowledge in academic disciplines provides evidence of information and knowledge flow in publishing academic books. Data and discussion further frames and situates the growing hybridization of subjects of research and their disciplinary publishing. Book reviews, as a barometer and approach to examining this phenomenon, illustrates book reviewing vis-à-vis academic disciplinary journals that are receptive to other disciplinary objects of research, not generally associated with that discipline. As scholarly research continues to metamorphose, book reviewing assumes a receptive and broader intellectual and publishing ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publication following thorough peer review has been one the essential drivers of scientific progress. While the emergence of open access journals has spread knowledge to a wider audience, a few publishers have started to exploit the model of being specifically paid by authors. They have published so-called predatory journals that have sacrificed scientific scrutiny in favor of revenue. Papers in such journals may bear illegitimate conclusions and thus hamper scientific progress. Here, we did not only explain predatory journals in general, we also elaborated on an example and thereby demonstrated how exactly these journals may deviate from scientific standards. Namely, a manufacturer of bacterial endotoxin tests published in a potentially predatory journal and neglected relevant literature, ill-referenced other papers and made use of judgmental, non-scientific language. Apparently, said manufacturer aimed to shed doubt in recombinant DNA technology (here recombinant Factor C) for bacterial endotoxin testing and, thus, restrict its competitors' access to this market. In turn, this may prevent the development of more accurate, reliable, rapid and affordable bacterial endotoxin tests und in turn hamper progress in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Government of India Initiative on linguistic data creation in Indian languages. The Linguistic Data Consortium for Indian Languages (LDC-IL) is a fully funded Government of India scheme established in 2007 to cater to the needs of linguistic resources required for the development of language technology in Indian languages. LDC-IL worked silently for more than a decade with a team of around regular fifty people and involving thousands of resource persons, covering twenty major languages of India. Part of the output of LDC-IL was launched in April 2019 by the Hon'ble Vice President of India. This paper, the first introductory paper in an academic journal, aims to give a brief of the works done by LDC-IL and how these works are crucial in the development of language technology for Indian languages. Within a short span of eight months of its release, the language resources released by LDC-IL have been procured and utilized by scores of industry and academic bodies and individual researchers, including major industry leaders like Microsoft, Google, Samsung etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition from a presentation in a scientific conference to publication in an academic journal should be the ideal journey for a research project. This phenomenon is summarized in a conversion rate, which has been previously reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and conversion rate of Chilean authors' aesthetic and reconstructive research projects in a nationwide study. Methods: Conference abstracts from the two official Chilean plastic surgery meetings released between 2008 and 2018 were analyzed. A bibliographic search of all published articles involving each Chilean plastic surgeon followed. This information was cross-referenced to obtain the conversion rates and time to publication for transferred studies. Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney test were used to establish statistical associations. Results: Four hundred sixty-eight abstracts were included, and 227 articles were found in our bibliographic search. Of these, 82 were considered to qualify as transferred studies. Aesthetic surgery publications had a higher proportion of prospective design than reconstructive articles (34.6% vs 20.1% (p = 0.02)). Median time to publication was 15 months, with a longer delay for reconstructive articles (19.5 vs 13 (p = 0.035)). The 2008–2016 conversion rate index was 19.2%, which was significantly higher for aesthetic surgery studies (36.4% vs 11.9% (p < 0.001)). Conclusions: Despite a smaller proportion of plastic surgery research being focused on aesthetic topics in our sample, they accounted for higher quality study design, shorter time to publication, and higher overall chances of publication following presentations in local meetings. Level of evidence: Not ratable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kernel method of machine learning is to transform data from data space to reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) and then perform machine learning in RKHS, while kernel learning is to select the best RKHS for specific applications and given learning samples. Since RKHS can be generated from kernel functions, kernel learning is to learn kernel functions. At present, the dilemma of kernel learning is that there are few kinds of kernel functions available for learning. The first contribution of this paper is to propose a new framework of kernel functions, in which the given learning samples can be embedded. Moreover, the framework contains a learnable part which can be optimized for specific applications. Symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrix data are more and more common in machine learning. However, SPD data space does not constitute a linear space and dictionary learning involves a lot of linear operations. Therefore, dictionary learning cannot be performed directly on SPD data space. The second contribution of this paper is to apply the proposed framework of kernel functions to dictionary learning of SPD data, in which SPD data are first transformed to the RKHS produced by the proposed framework, and then, both dictionary and the learnable part of the framework are learned simultaneously in RKHS. The experimental results on 4 landmark datasets show that the proposed algorithm performs better than 6 other algorithms published recently in top academic journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses stratification in the global higher education research community and the changing geography of country affiliations in six elite journals. The distribution of country affiliations is analyzed from a longitudinal perspective (1996–2018), and full-time and part-time authors in the field are contrasted. The prestige maximization model and principal-agent theory provide the theoretical framework for the study, which examines 6334 articles published in six elite journals in the context of 21,442 articles in 41 core journals. The findings indicate that about 3.3% of academics have authored at least five articles (full-timers). These authors constitute the publishing core of the research community, while the 80% who have authored one article (part-timers) constitute its periphery. Higher Education (HE) and Studies in Higher Education (SHE) emerge as elite global journals, with an increasing share of non-Anglo-Saxon authors. Previously globally invisible countries became visible almost exclusively through HE and SHE. Global trends include the diminishing role of American researchers and the increasing role of researchers from Continental Europe, East Asia, and the cluster of 66 "other" countries. The single biggest affiliation loser is the United States, which had 42.5% of country affiliations in 1996–2003 but only 26.9% in 2012–2018. This reflects both the increasing share of non-American affiliations and the increasing yearly volume of HE and SHE publications, in which US academics tend not to publish massively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the population of articles on higher education published in academic journals by researchers from post-Soviet countries in the last three decades. We found that post-Soviet countries contribute differently to the overall publication output, with only Russia, Lithuania, and Estonia having more than 100 articles in journals indexed in Scopus. Countries also have different publication profiles in terms of articles' language, topics, methodology, and the balance between articles in local and international journals. In comparison with a sample of international articles, post-Soviet authors publish a substantially smaller share of research articles, and articles about teaching and learning issues, student experience and outcomes, and academic work, but a larger share of policy-related articles and articles about system policy and history. Researchers from one post-Soviet country collaborate much less within their country compared with authors from the international sample, where people collaborate more actively between institutions within a country. At the same time, scholars from different post-Soviet countries do not collaborate with each other. Our analysis demonstrates the disunity of the community of post-Soviet scholars disconnected by national borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolving research landscape in the time of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic calls for greater understanding of the perceptions of scholars regarding the current state and future of publishing. An anonymised and validated e-survey featuring 30 questions was circulated among rheumatologists and other specialists over social media to understand preferences while choosing target journals, publishing standards, commercial editing services, preprint archiving, social media and alternative publication activities. Of 108 respondents, a significant proportion were clinicians (68%), researchers (60%) and educators (47%), with median 23 publications and 15 peer-review accomplishments. The respondents were mainly rheumatologists from India, Ukraine and Turkey. While choosing target journals, relevance to their field (69%), PubMed Central archiving (61%) and free publishing (59%) were the major factors. Thirty-nine surveyees (36%) claimed that they often targeted local journals for publishing their research. However, only 18 (17%) perceived their local society journals as trustworthy. Occasional publication in the so-called predatory journals (5, 5%) was reported and obtaining support from commercial editing agencies to improve English and data presentation was not uncommon (23, 21%). The opinion on preprint archiving was disputed; only one-third believed preprints were useful. High-quality peer review (56%), full and immediate open access (46%) and post-publication social media promotion (32%) were identified as key anticipated features of scholarly publishing in the foreseeable future. These perceptions of surveyed scholars call for greater access to free publishing, attention to proper usage of English and editing skills, and a larger role for engagement over social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History journal articles constitute a large and diverse body of scholarly literature in history. This discussion frames the relative importance of articles as a communication ecology within the professionalization of historians and to the body of historical knowledge. Their discrete nature is examined and their particular characteristics are tied to the complex position they occupy in the dissemination of research and value to academic historians vis-à-vis promotion and tenure. The status of the article, its perceived purpose and value in relation to the importance of the monograph to academic historians, further frames this tension, characterising the political economy of academic historical scholarship. Examples of journals and specialization are discussed within academic history's publishing ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer review of journal submissions has become one of the most important pillars of quality management in academic publishing. Because of growing concerns with the quality and effectiveness of the system, a host of enthusiastic innovators has proposed and experimented with new procedures and technologies. However, little is known about whether these innovations manage to convince other journal editors. This paper will address open questions regarding the implementation of new review procedures, the occurrence rate of various peer review procedures and their distribution over scientific disciplines or academic publishers, as well as the motivations for editors or publishers to engage in novel review procedures. It shows that in spite of enthusiastic innovation, the adoption of new peer review procedures is in fact very slow, with the exception of text similarity scanners. For now, peer review innovations appear to be restricted to specific niches in academic publishing. Analysing these niches, the article concludes with a reflection on the circumstances in which innovations might be more widely implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of patient clinical photographs requires specific attention to confidentiality and privacy. Although there are policies and procedures for publishing clinical images, there is little systematic evidence about what patients and health professionals actually think about consent for publishing clinical images. We investigated the opinions of three stakeholder groups (patients, students and doctors) at 3 academic healthcare institutions and 37 private practices in Croatia (total 791 participants: 292 patients, 281 medical and dental students and 281 doctors of medicine or dental medicine). The questionnaire contained patient photographs with different levels of anonymization. All three respondent groups considered that more stringent forms of permission for were needed identifiable photographs than for those with higher levels of anonymization. When the entire face was presented in a photo only 33% of patients considered that written permission was required, compared with 88% of the students and 89% of the doctors. Opinions about publishing patient photographs differed among the three respondent samples: almost half of the patients thought no permission was necessary compared with one-third of students and doctors. These results show poor awareness of Croatian patients regarding the importance of written informed consent as well as unsatisfactory knowledge of health professionals about policies on the publication of patients' data in general. In conclusion, there is a need for increasing awareness of all stakeholders to achieve better protection of patient privacy rights in research and publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publishing papers in good journals is important for researchers' reputation and career. This paper aims to investigate the perceptions of early-career researchers (ECRs) and mid-career researchers (MCRs) on the factors and attributes that make a good scholarly journal. Data were obtained from 488 Vietnamese researchers using survey method. Descriptive analysis of the survey data demonstrates that the majority of the researchers believe that a good scholarly journal is from well-known publishers and indexed in Web of Science or Scopus. Also, such a journal has good impact factor, high rank, outstanding editors and editorial board members as well as publishes articles written by famous researchers. Comparative analysis reveals that ECRs have stronger beliefs that a good journal has simple submission procedure and is responsive to authors' queries, whilst MCRs show greater beliefs that a quality journal has good indices measuring its impact and high rank. These findings have several implications for key stakeholders including publishers and editors in the development and marketing of their journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in how various technical tools can be used to leverage the instructional process for both teaching and learning. Digital badges are a visual representation of learning and skills. Digital badges have been used as a way to reduce gaps in knowledge (Bowen and Thomas Change, 46(1), 21-25, 2014; Guskey Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 8–31, 2007), increase engagement (Abramovich et al. Educational Technology Research and Development, 61, 217–232, 2013; Glover and Latif 2013), and develop mastery in key concepts (Academic Medicine, 88(10), 1418–1423, 2013). One challenge for educators in using digital badge systems is in how to provide detailed and specific assessment and feedback to students. A potential solution is to pair digital badges with Mastery Learning strategies. In order to examine the types and ways in which instructors provide feedback, individual instructor case studies were developed. Each case was investigated and analyzed holistically as a single entity representing the distinct evaluation style of that instructor. The coding schema used a deductive process based on feedback and Mastery Learning research including the functions of feedback (e.g. task, cognitive, and functional validity information) (Balzer et al. Psychological Bulletin, 106(3), 410, 1989; Butler and Winne Review of Educational Research, 65(3), 245–281, 1995), principles of feedback (e.g. principles supporting self-regulated learning) (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218, 2006), framework of effective feedback (e.g. content, social and interpersonal negotiation, organization and management) (Yang and Carless Teaching in Higher Education, 18(3), 285–297, 2013), and essential elements of Mastery Learning (e.g. feedback, correctives, enrichment) (Guskey Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 8–31, 2007). Instructors' feedback fell within six categories: 1) Outcome Feedback; 2) Clarification; 3) Decreasing Gaps in Knowledge; 4) Motivation and Interaction; 5) Opportunities to Further Knowledge; 6) Promotes Overall Learning and Cognitive Development. Based on the results, specific categories of feedback are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-syntheses from experts' judgements and quantitative metrics are two main forms of evaluation. But they both have limitations. This paper constructs a framework for mapping the evaluation results between quantitative metrics and experts' judgements such that they may be solved. In this way, the weights of metrics in quantitative evaluation are objectively obtained, and the validity of the results can be testified. Weighted average percentile (WAP) is employed to aggregate different experts' judgements into standard WAP scores. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is used to map quantitative results into experts' judgements, while WAP scores are equal to the final closeness coefficients generated by the TOPSIS method. However, the closeness coefficients of TOPSIS rely on the weights of quantitative metrics. In this way, the mapping procedure is transformed into an optimization problem, and a genetic algorithm is introduced to search for the best weights. An academic journal ranking in the field of Supply Chain Management and Logistics (SCML) is used to test the validity obtained by mapping results. Four prominent ranking lists from Association of Business Schools, Australian Business Deans Council, German Academic Association for Business Research, and Comité National de la Recherche Scientifique were selected to represent different experts' judgements. Twelve indices including IF, Eigenfactor Score (ES), H-index, Scimago Journal Ranking, and Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) were chosen for quantitative evaluation. The results reveal that the mapping results possess high validity for the relative error of experts' judgements, the quantitative metrics are 43.4%, and the corresponding best weights are determined in the meantime. Thus, some interesting findings are concluded. First, H-index, Impact Per Publication (IPP), and SNIP play dominant roles in the SCML journal's quality evaluation. Second, all the metrics are positively correlated, although the correlation varies among metrics. For example, ES and NE are perfectly, positively correlated with each other, yet they have the lowest correlation with the other metrics. Metrics such as IF, IFWJ, 5-year IF, and IPP are highly correlated. Third, some highly correlated metrics may perform differently in quality evaluation, such as IPP and 5-year IF. Therefore, when mapping the quantitative metrics and experts' judgements, academic fields should be treated distinctively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural history collections are now being championed as key to broad ecological studies, especially those involving human impacts in the Anthropocene. However, collections are going through a crisis that threatens their present and future value, going beyond underfunding/understaffing to a more damaging practice: current researchers are no longer depositing material. This seems to be especially true for ecological studies that now benefit from historical collections, as those researchers are not trained to think about voucher specimens. We investigated indexed journals in Ecology and Zoology to assess if they have guidelines concerning voucher specimens. Only 4% of ecological journals presently encourage (but mostly do not require) voucher deposition, while 15% of zoological journals encourage it. In the first place, this goes contrary to scientific standards of reproducibility, since specimens are primary data. Secondly, this erodes the legacy we will leave for future researchers, because if this trend goes on unchecked, it will leave a massive gap in collections' coverage, undermining the quality that is presently acclaimed. The scientific community needs a wakeup call to avoid impoverishing the future value of natural history collections. Training and changing researchers' mindsets is essential, but that takes time. For the moment, we propose a stopgap measure: at the minimum, academic journals should encourage authors to deposit specimens in open collections, such as museums and universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate gender differences in the authorship of articles published in two major European radiology journals, European Radiology (EurRad) and CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology (CVIR).Methods: A retrospective bibliometric analysis was performed of 2632 papers published in EurRad and CVIR sampled over a period of 14 years (2002-2016). The authors' gender was determined. The analysis was focused on first and last authors. In addition, the characteristics of the articles (type, origin, radiological subspecialty, and country) were noted.Results: Overall, 23% of first authors and 10% of the last authors were women. The proportion of women significantly increased over time in EurRad from 22% in 2002 to 35% in 2016 for first authors (p > 0.001), and from 13% in 2002 to 18% in 2016 for last authors (p = 0.05). There was no significant increase in the proportion of female authors in CVIR over time. Female authors were more frequently identified in breast imaging (48%), pediatrics, and gynecological imaging (29%). There were more female authors in articles from Spain (34%), the Netherlands (28%), France, Italy, and South Korea (26%). Forty-one percent and 21% of women were first authors with a woman or man as last author, respectively (p < 0.001).Conclusion: There was a significant increase in female authorship in original diagnostic but not interventional imaging research articles between 2002 and 2016, with a strong influence of the radiological subspecialty. Women were significantly more frequently first authors when the last author was a woman.Key Points: • There was a significant increase in female authorship in original diagnostic but not interventional imaging research articles between 2002 and 2016. • There is a strong influence of the radiological subspecialty on the percentage of female authors. • Women are significantly more frequently first authors when the last author is a woman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure and Applied Geophysics (PAGEOPH) is one of the leading journals in the field of geophysics. The first issue was published in 1939; thus, the journal is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2018. The aim of this paper is to provide a complete lifetime overview of the academic structure of the journal using bibliometric indicators. This analysis includes key factors such as the most cited articles, leading authors, originating institutions and countries, publication and citation structures, and the most commonly used keywords. The bibliometric data used to conduct this analysis comes from the Scopus database. Additionally, the visualization of similarities (VOS)viewer software is used to create a graphic map of some of the bibliometric results. The graphical analysis uses co-citation, bibliographic coupling and co-occurrence of keywords. The results indicate that PAGEOPH is a leading journal in the areas in which it is indexed, with publications from a wide range of authors, institutions, and countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the accomplishments and the future of the "Archives of Sexual Behavior." Topics discussed include the periodical's continued growth as it enters the year 2020, its Target Articles series, and special sections. Also mentioned are initial submissions and impact factors for 2017 and 2018.

Disaster management (DM), within a broad field of operations management, is becoming an emergent area of interest for academics and practitioners. This study examines the literature evolving on disaster management linked to application of simulation modelling. Many literature review studies on disaster management are offered by numerous authors. However, broad analysis of various applications of simulation based modelling within a DM context are not adequate. As a result, the proposed research carries out a review of 100 papers published in numerous peer-reviewed academic journals during the period 2000 and January 2016. In particular, the paper presents a classification of publications based on the simulation technique(s) used; examines the disaster issues addressed by the technique (s) used; analyzes trends and identifies the impact of published research on simulation modeling pertaining to DM. This study would enable researchers to understand the significance of various simulation modelling techniques in resolving a variety of disaster related challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) is a cognitive process for evaluating data under various attributes in order to find the best option in terms of the preferences of decision makers. Handling uncertainty and vagueness in most real-world decision-making problems involves the application of mathematical tools dealing with uncertainty, such as soft set (SS) theory in decision-making processes. In recent years, different approaches have been suggested for demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of soft set theory in MADM. To date, no systematic literature review has been presented in this area. However, a review paper on existing SS-based methods can help future researchers to find the gaps and missing MADM approaches in current studies. In this paper, we review the methodologies and applications of 71 research papers published in 30 academic journals (extracted from online databases including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer, World of Scientific, and Hindawi) between January 2000 and December 2017. These papers have been categorized into two main groups: single and hybrid approaches. In addition, they have been classified with respect to MADM techniques, country of origin, journal, and publication year. The statistical analysis shows that "SSAW" method which has been employed by various authors is the most common technique. Moreover, the number of research publications by academics was highest in 2017. In addition, the "Applied Mathematical Modelling" journal and China are ranked as the academic journal and country that have presented the most major contributions in this domain, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) is a cognitive process for evaluating data under various attributes in order to find the best option in terms of the preferences of decision makers. Handling uncertainty and vagueness in most real-world decision-making problems involves the application of mathematical tools dealing with uncertainty, such as soft set (SS) theory in decision-making processes. In recent years, different approaches have been suggested for demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of soft set theory in MADM. To date, no systematic literature review has been presented in this area. However, a review paper on existing SS-based methods can help future researchers to find the gaps and missing MADM approaches in current studies. In this paper, we review the methodologies and applications of 71 research papers published in 30 academic journals (extracted from online databases including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer, World of Scientific, and Hindawi) between January 2000 and December 2017. These papers have been categorized into two main groups: single and hybrid approaches. In addition, they have been classified with respect to MADM techniques, country of origin, journal, and publication year. The statistical analysis shows that "SSAW" method which has been employed by various authors is the most common technique. Moreover, the number of research publications by academics was highest in 2017. In addition, the "Applied Mathematical Modelling" journal and China are ranked as the academic journal and country that have presented the most major contributions in this domain, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In academic settings where digital badges are taking over conventional task formats, educators are faced with the challenge of how to deliver and assess content and skills within badges. Imposing a mastery learning approach, where feedback is key, to a digital badge system may be a potential solution to using digital badges within higher education. As a way to support student learning, Guskey, Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 8–31 (2007) emphasizes the importance of not only frequent feedback but specific feedback. In order to examine how students are using feedback to inform their coursework within a digital badge context, an online survey was designed consisting of open-ended questions about the nature and value of instructional feedback within a digital badge system. Results from the questionnaire indicated three major thematic groups illustrating feedback from the students' perspective: Importance and Nature of Feedback, Authority over Knowledge and Learning, and Learning for Mastery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open science refers to an array of practices that promote openness, integrity, and reproducibility in research; the merits of which are being vigorously debated and developed across academic journals, listservs, conference sessions, and professional associations. The current paper identifies and clarifies major issues related to the use of open science practices (e.g., data sharing, study pre-registration, open access journals). We begin with a useful general description of what open science in organizational research represents and adopt a question-and-answer format. Through this format, we then focus on the application of specific open science practices and explore future directions of open science. All of this builds up to a series of specific actionable recommendations provided in conclusion, to help individual researchers, reviewers, journal editors, and other stakeholders develop a more open research environment and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University presses publish books according to their respective publishing specializations and programming. Disciplinary interests supported by university presses align with their strengths and adaptation to the vicissitudes of the scholarly communication system. This discussion frames changes in humanities and social science disciplines published by university presses via examination of AAUP Directories for 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2017 to ascertain and clarify disciplinary alignments and changes in emphases over time. Special attention is focused on discussion of disciplinary emphases, including evolution of nomenclature and changes for multidisciplinary and area studies. Over the past 20 years, university presses have published scholarship reflecting the changes of disciplinary orientation captured in subject interests and emphases, evolving with disciplinary changes occurring in academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]