Caroline Armitage
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carolinearmitage.bsky.social
Caroline Armitage
@carolinearmitage.bsky.social
140 followers 140 following 31 posts
Research Librarian at the University of Bergen (https://www.uib.no/en/persons/Caroline.S.Armitage). Here to keep in the loop about bibliometrics, scientific publishing, open science, research assessment and libraries... plus plus :)
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carolinearmitage.bsky.social
Caroline Armitage @carolinearmitage.bsky.social · Mar 13
Jeg har slett litt med å finne folk til å følge fra andre UH-bibliotek så... jeg prøver meg på en starter pack med de jeg har funnet! Skal prøve å holde den litt gående, med mindre en bedre versjon finnes hos noen andre :) go.bsky.app/5DFUkmC #bibliosky #universitetsbibliotek
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
A really great set of 3 papers for anyone wanting to get to grips with systemic issues in scientific publishing in a concise and data-supported way!
hansonmark.bsky.social Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 6d
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 13, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
hedgielib.bsky.social
Bug in Springer Nature metadata may be causing ‘significant, systemic’ citation inflation retractionwatch.com/2025/11/11/b...
Bug in Springer Nature metadata may be causing ‘significant, systemic’ citation inflation
Millions of researchers could be affected by a “dramatic distortion of citation counts” likely caused by flaws in how the academic publishing giant Springer Nature handles article metadata, accordi…
retractionwatch.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
jedbrown.org
You know what doesn't wear an "I read banned books" shirt to work?

A censorious computer program labeled "librarian".

And that denial of agency is why fascists are so eager to displace librarians with a machine that does not do the same job and thereby poses no threat to power.
November 7, 2025 at 5:46 AM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
This is so nice. I love libraries.
orkneylibrary.bsky.social Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · 21d
The clocks have gone back and we are moving towards the darker months so we are DELIGHTED to launch our new Wintering Well Kits - FREE loanable kits containing a portable plug-in therapy lamp, along with other resources to help people who struggle during the winter months. ☀️💡
A SAD lamp and booklet on the beach
October 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
olivia.science
"We are told that AI is inevitable, that we must adapt or be left behind. But universities are not tech companies. Our role is to foster critical thinking, not to follow industry trends uncritically." www.ru.nl/en/research/...
September 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
Interesting! "Closed commercial databases, such as Web of Science, are not in line with our desire to work with open research information as much as possible. The UU signed the Barcelona Declaration in 2024 to this effect."
jeroenson.bsky.social Jeroen Sondervan @jeroenson.bsky.social · Sep 8
What might seem like a small announcement—it’s just one institution—actually carries substantial weight and has a strong symbolic meaning.

@utrechtuniversity.bsky.social, has taken another bold step: it won't renew its Web of Science license. www.uu.nl/en/news/acce...
Access to Web of Science will end on 1 January 2026
The university library has decided not to renew the licence for access to the Web of Science citation database (including Journal Citation Reports).
www.uu.nl
September 10, 2025 at 12:02 PM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
If I'm honest, it's taken me longer than it should have to get to grips with what it does, ticking along behind things - but yes!
telescoper.bsky.social Peter Coles @telescoper.bsky.social · Sep 3
Crossref is a marvellous thing, not least because most researchers are not at all aware of the immense amount of good work it does behind the scenes.
crossref.bsky.social Crossref @crossref.bsky.social · Sep 3
This year's Annual Meeting & Board Election is more than business as usual. We're celebrating 25 years of community! Share your #metadata story by submitting an abstract by 20 September. https://bit.ly/Crossref2025-CFA
September 8, 2025 at 9:55 AM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
Program for #nwb2025 is now out - only a few places left! www.nifu.no/nwb2025/prog... @nwb2025.bsky.social
Program
NWB2025Practical informationProgramRegistrationAbout NWB The preliminary structure of the NWB 2025 program is now available. Please note that this outline is subject to revision prior to finalizati...
www.nifu.no
September 2, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
jsaebo.bsky.social
På torsdag er det gratis online seminar (Open Science Lunch) hvor jeg skal snakke om da tidskriftet "vårt" ble kapret og det ble produsert falske artikler i mitt navn. Kom og hør en ekte røverhistorie fra akademia! www.ub.uio.no/english/cour...
Journal hijacking – the story of the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems - University of Oslo Library
In early 2023, the editor of the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS) became aware that a fake clone of the journal had started to operate, tricking authors into paying article processin...
www.ub.uio.no
August 25, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
sciencepainted.bsky.social
Excited to share my SK post on this platform!
August 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
forskning.bsky.social
– Vi har forsket ferdig. Nå trenger vi handling, sier marinbiologer.
Artikkelen er produsert av Universitetet i Oslo. www.forskning.no/biologisk-ma...
August 19, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
jennyostrop.bsky.social
Would you like to analyze your data in a smarter way, but need some help to get started? Join our next Software Carpentry @carpentries.carpentries.org course at @unibergen.bsky.social! Sign-up deadline is this Friday, Aug 22nd: www.uib.no/en/ub/178263...
August 18, 2025 at 1:28 PM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
"Rogue Scholar science blog archive improves science blogs in important ways, including full-text search, long-term archiving, DOIs and metadata, and communities" - Well this seems cool! Posting for anyone with a blog to check out: rogue-scholar.org
Rogue Scholar
rogue-scholar.org
August 18, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
drbeard79.bsky.social
I love chairing panels at academic conferences and I Have Thoughts about it!

I think it’s a really important service role AND you can create the conditions for everyone in the panel to have a good time AND it can be fun!

A 🧵👇 1/9
July 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
Registration now open to join us in Bergen for the Nordic Workshop on Bibliometrics and Research Policy in October! www.nifu.no/nwb2025/ #nwb2025 #bibliosky
A photo of Bergen harbour and Bryggen in the sunset, with the tall sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl by the docks. The text says "Nordic workshop on bibliometrics & research policy 2025".
July 1, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
stfisherhoyrem.bsky.social
Bra jobba av @refz.bsky.social. Men også trist at bibliotekene må bruke ressurser på sånt "politiarbeid."
Forsker har fått trukket tilbake 16 artikler
Noroff-forskeren publiserte én artikkel hver tredje dag. Han er også den i Norge som de siste årene har fått flest artikler trukket tilbake fordi tidsskriftet de var publisert i ikke lenger kunne stå ...
www.khrono.no
June 26, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
kayguccione.bsky.social
Today's 5min MUST READ is from @tseenster.bsky.social and @drmeagantyler.bsky.social and looks as memes as a route into the hidden curriculum, and their utility to help unpick pervasive messages that shape our research culture.

drhiddencurriculum.wordpress.com/2025/06/17/i...
I can has research culture? Using memes in researcher development
Dr Tseen Khoo is an Associate Professor, Researcher Development (EMCR), with the Researcher Development Academy, Deakin University, Australia. Tseen created and runs the researcher development and …
drhiddencurriculum.wordpress.com
June 17, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
litterat.party
Hjelp
Onsdag avslørte statsminister Jonas Gahr Støre hvem som får over én milliard til nye sentre for kunstig intelligens. Han fortalte også at han selv ba ChatGPT om råd før møtet med Donald Trump.
June 12, 2025 at 6:40 AM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
Abstract submission closes tomorrow! #NWB2025
nwb2025.bsky.social NWB2025 @nwb2025.bsky.social · Mar 13
The 30th Nordic Workshop on Bibliometrics and Research Policy takes place in Bergen, Norway October 29-31 this year. The Call for Abstracts is now out, and submissions open March 17th. Presentations and posters alike are welcome. Hope to see you there?
Welcome to Bergen in 2025!
Welcome to the 30th Nordic Workshop on Bibliometrics and Research Policy (NWB 2025). Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education are hosts together with the University Library o...
www.nifu.no
June 6, 2025 at 9:35 AM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
"... denne saken angår ikke bare universitetet i Trondheim, men hele Universitets-Norge. Den berører spørsmålet om hva et universitetsbibliotek skal være." www.khrono.no/skap-et-demo...
Skap et demokratihus på Universitetsbiblioteket ved NTNU
Vi ønsker oss et modig og sosialt engasjert bibliotek som tar ansvar for å bygge en sterkere kultur for lesing, for demokratisk ordskifte og for den sakte, nyanserte kritiske tenkningen.
www.khrono.no
May 28, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
Semi-regular reminder:
Baby open-ocean octopuses sometimes ride on jellyfish like little hats.
📸 Songda Cai bit.ly/2ZmNZZH 🧪🪼🐙🦑🌿
A small paper nautilus octopus female riding on the top of a pink jellyfish. A dark orange octopus, possibly a male blanket octopus, riding on the top of a four tentacled jellyfish. A small octopus, possibly a male blanket octopus, riding on an octopus that is only about as large as he is.
October 24, 2024 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
librarykirsten.bsky.social
Fascinating post! Interesting to think about the brand of “BMJ” and how it feels like that should be trustworthy. Also the challenge of identifying journals which maybe aren’t technically predatory but are failing to uphold editorial standards.
May 6, 2025 at 8:48 AM
carolinearmitage.bsky.social
👏
Hva skal vi bruke Wiley-pengene til?
At Sikt-forhandlingene med forlagsgiganten Wiley strandet, fører til mange, mange millioner i reduserte kostnader. Hva skal de innsparte millionene brukes til? Finnes det modeller vi kan lære av? Det ...
www.khrono.no
April 4, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
dralistruthers.bsky.social
The raison d'être of academic publishing is to publish output that meets a basic requirement of quality: that people should be able to trust that it isn't fundamentally wrong.

This feature shows a shocking disregard for that with a lazy caveat about it being AI content & 'the quality may vary'.
edtechprof.bsky.social Dr. Adam K. Dubé @edtechprof.bsky.social · Apr 1
So, @elsevierconnect.bsky.social added an AI question and answer to my article in Computer & Education.

The answers are wrong!
They did not ask permission!
The answers are WRONG!

How is this science?!
April 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Caroline Armitage
amaliasl.bsky.social
"What makes cataloging such a potent political instrument is not just its ability to name, but its power to make those naming decisions appear neutral and inevitable."
March 25, 2025 at 11:43 AM