The Top Articles of June

“The Geyser” continues to grow, with more readers and an expanding reputation for tackling a wide range of issues affecting publishing, technology, and business. In June, we published 24 articles — and a number about Plan S — with the following getting the most views:

1. “Plan S, the Verschlimmbesserung of Scholarly Information.” This was a guest post by James Phimister discussing the German word for “an attempted improvement that actually makes things worse.”
2. “Ready for Plan X?” An essay noting that even if Plan S changes dramatically, most organizations will have to prepare for more grand statements intended to upset the market.
3. “From Bad Reporting to a Useful Study.” An overview of superficial reporting of our market on one hand, and an insightful study showing rapid increases in APCs with no discernible effect on submissions on the other.
4. “A Plan S Compendium.” A post outlining a raft of posts on Plan S — from this outlet and others. A convenient place to begin a review.
5. “Interview: Christine Spira, PMP.” An interview with an accomplished project management and change management expert.

While heavy on Plan S, other popular posts included coverage of the resurgence of e-newsletters, Google Scholar and metered paywalls, how making articles “free” may be about to backfire, and a blunt assessment in the Netherlands of Plan S’ effect on scholarly societies.

In July so far, “The Geyser” has covered ways preprint servers can improve, scandals in the handling of biometric data, taxpayer-funded silence and intimidation, being spied on in hotel rooms and on hotel and conference center networks, and the emergence of a long-term equity market aimed at improving corporate governance.

We’ve also added our “Friday song” feature for the summer, which is proving quite popular.

Thanks for reading!

Subscribe now