Scholarly Kitchen
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| Scholarly Kitchen | |
|---|---|
| Name | Scholarly Kitchen |
| Type | Blog |
| Owner | Society for Scholarly Publishing |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | United States |
Scholarly Kitchen is a professional blog hosted by the Society for Scholarly Publishing that publishes commentary on scholarly communication, academic publishing, and research policy. It functions as a platform for analysis, debate, and explanation aimed at practitioners in libraries, publishing houses, and research institutions. The blog has featured contributions from editors, publishers, librarians, and researchers associated with major organizations and events in the scholarly communication ecosystem.
History
The blog was established in 2008 amid debates paralleling milestones such as the expansion of PubMed Central, the development of the Open Access movement spearheaded by advocates like Harold Varmus and organizations such as Public Library of Science, and policy shifts exemplified by the NIH Public Access Policy. Early years coincided with controversies involving publishers like Elsevier and initiatives such as ResearchGate, while broader sectoral changes were shaped by conferences including the ALPSP annual meeting and the STM publishing conference. Over time the blog covered developments linked to major actors such as CrossRef, ORCID, COPE, and funding agencies including the Wellcome Trust and the European Commission.
Mission and Scope
The stated mission emphasizes informed commentary on topics resonant with stakeholders such as university presses, academic libraries, and funders like the National Science Foundation. Content addresses policy instruments similar to the Plan S framework, technological platforms like Google Scholar, and standards promulgated by bodies such as Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The scope ranges from analysis of legal fixtures like the Copyright Act and cases before the Supreme Court of the United States to discussion of metrics developed by organizations such as Clarivate and initiatives like the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.
Content and Features
Articles include editorials, analysis, and occasional interviews touching on tools such as Crossref metadata, identifier systems including DOI and ORCID, and infrastructures like arXiv and institutional repositories modelled on DSpace. Topics often intersect with events such as the Scholarly Communication Roadmap discussions, technology trends exemplified by blockchain pilots in publishing, and product launches from firms like Elsevier and Springer Nature. The blog also covers standards and guides from entities such as NISO and reporting guidelines akin to those from the Equator Network.
Contributors and Editorial Structure
Contributors have included editors and executives associated with organizations like American Chemical Society, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Johns Hopkins University Press, and MIT Press, as well as librarians from institutions including Harvard University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Columbia University. Advisory and editorial composition reflects affiliations with professional societies such as the Association of Research Libraries and networks including Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. Guest posts have sometimes come from researchers linked to centers like Wellcome Centre for Ethics and policy units within funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Impact and Reception
The blog has been cited in discussions at conferences like Code4Lib, Open Repositories, and policy consultations convened by the European Research Council and national bodies such as UK Research and Innovation. Its commentary has been referenced in analyses by media outlets and think tanks discussing developments involving Elsevier negotiations, the Plan S timeline, and open data initiatives by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. Academics and practitioners at universities including Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and University of California campuses have engaged with its posts in institutional deliberations.
Controversies and Criticism
The platform has attracted critique for positions perceived as aligned with certain publisher interests during disputes comparable to tensions highlighted in cases involving Elsevier and community-led platforms such as Sci-Hub and ResearchGate. Critics from advocacy groups like SPARC and proponents of radical open access reform have disputed some perspectives, referencing debates similar to those surrounding Plan S and library-publisher negotiations such as those seen with the University of California system. Debates have sometimes invoked legal and ethical frameworks exemplified by litigation histories and policy pronouncements involving entities like the US Copyright Office and international accords discussed at forums such as the World Intellectual Property Organization.