1,720,971 research outputs found
From SIGLE to OpenSIGLE: An in-depth look on resource migration in the European context
No full textIn 1980, some major European scientific information centres established the "System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe" (SIGLE) to provide access to European grey literature and to improve bibliographic coverage. August 23, 2006, the Luxemburg Register of Commerce and Societies published the liquidation of the association EAGLE that produced the SIGLE database until 2005. Nevertheless, the former EAGLE member consented to preserve the European co-operation for grey literature and to transform the 1980 model into a sustainable network in the emerging environment of open access to scientific information. The first step was to archive the SIGLE records in an open and freely searchable database, conform to the OAI metadata harvesting protocol. The French INIST developed OpenSIGLE based on MIT software (DSpace) and loaded most of the SIGLE records in a simplified XML format. The communication provides an overview of the short history of SIGLE and EAGLE and describes how this unique resource was moved from a traditional host to an open access environment, giving the database a new look while preserving essential features characteristic for SIGLE.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
Grey literature in an open context: From certainty to new challenges
No full textIn 1997, grey literature was defined at Luxembourg as "that which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers". Distinction between commercial (white), non-commercial (grey) and other (dirty) literature seemed easy. Six years later, the landscape of scientific and technical information has radically changed. What is the place of grey literature between continuous electronic resources, open archives and new economic models of scientific literature? Is there any place left? The authors describe the evolution and relative decline of traditional grey literature from a French perspective and present some actual trends in the processing of grey literature by INIST-CNRS.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
From OpenSIGLE to OpenGrey : Changes and Continuity
No full textFirst presented at the GL8 conference in New Orleans 2006 as a prototype, OpenSIGLE went life in December 2007. After three years of existence, the results are beyond all expectations. OpenSIGLE has become a reference source for grey literature, and its user community has grown constantly, especially from outside Europe. The integration of the GL conference preprints into the repository from 2008 onwards not only added research papers on the topic of grey literature to its contents, but also permitted OpenSIGLE to be accepted in the "Directory of Open Access Repositories" (OpenDOAR). In spite of the success of OpenSIGLE it's not wise to rest on one's laurels. The change of name to "OpenGrey" signifies a shift in the content of the repository as well as in its physical appearance. Besides providing a new look and a more convenient technological environment, OpenGrey closes the gap between the close of the SIGLE database and today, including recent records and links to the full text. The paper presents the new website which includes numerous facilities requested by users such as OAI-PMH, the possibility to export records and an improved access to the document itself. OpenGrey also takes into account a changed user behaviour, where visitors arrive after searching Google or Google Scholar and want all relevant information at a glance. The paper further explains input procedures and gives other information for the ongoing updates of the repository. Finally we call former SIGLE members and new partners to contribute to OpenGrey.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
Open access to full text and ETDs in Europe: improving accessibility through the choice of language?
No full textNext to journal articles and eprints electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) are the most frequent document type found in open archives, for various reasons: - ETD's are a well defined and well referenced document type. Rules for deposit and citation are generally established on a national level, and international standards exist for specific information and theses metadata, contrary to other grey documents. - ETD's are administrative documents, and students can be "obliged" to deposit their work in an archive or repository for formal reasons. The paper describes some tendancies concerning electronic theses and dissertations in Europe as observed during explorations of institutional and other repositories, with specific regard to the full text. In the first part we examine the changing landscape in repositories where access to the complete full text of a thesis no longer is the unique offer, but where we also find partial access, temporary embargoes and bibliographic citations only. The increase of the number of items seems thus somewhat couterbalanced by a decrease in "quality". In the second part, we take a closer look at the language issue of ETDs. If the technical open access to the full text of ETDs is increasing, it doesn't necessarily imply an easier access (i.e. readability) for everyone, since the language barrier may still exist. Can the "accessibility" be increased by choosing the right language? Today we observe a growing number of ETDs written in English, the vernacular language for scientific research. But who writes in English? In this paper we explore the phenomenon under different aspects. - Are there differences between disciplines? - Are foreign students more inclined to write in English? - Does the participation in international projects influence the choice of language? - Can legal aspects or national recommendations create obstacles? The growing complexity of the ETD landscape calls for explicit policies to inform the user of a given repository as well as for tools such as directories providing detailed information on a general level.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
Open Access to full text and ETDs in Europe: Improving accessibility through the choice of language?
No full textTendencies concerning electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) in Europe as observed during explorations of institutional and other repositories, with specific regard to the full text
Open Access to full text and ETDs in Europe: Improving accessibility through the choice of language?
No full textTendencies concerning electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) in Europe as observed during explorations of institutional and other repositories, with specific regard to the full text
Grey Literature: A Pilot Course constructed and implemented via Distance Education
No full textOver the past years, training courses, guest lectures, seminars and workshops have been organized by information professionals on the topic of grey literature. Most of these endeavours have undoubtedly had some impact on this field of information, however difficult it would be to measure. Many of these course lectures were given within existing programs and may have only been one-time offerings. At the Eighth International Conference on Grey Literature (New Orleans, 2006), two of the authors in this pilot study participated in a roundtable on curriculum development and grey literature. For their part, it was more important to find a proper structure within which to further construct an accredited course than to simply provide an inventory of ad hoc training courses or workshops, which deal/dealt with grey literature. The intended structure would have to incorporate the expertise of a number of stakeholders in order to guarantee potential students course credit, access to courseware and resources, qualified instruction, etc. Early on, it became evident that these stakeholders need not be physically present within one particular academic institution, but could rather be brought together in a joint venture by way of distance education. This paper will focus on the stakeholders in the pilot program and the specialization of each, as well as the students who are profiled and the knowledge and skills from which they would benefit. Built into the pilot is the maintenance of an ongoing log that would capture the pilot courses' development and progress, facilitate a SWOT analysis, enable comparison with other distance education courses in the LIS (Library and Information Studies) sector, and ultimately substantiate this course offering beyond a pilot phase to academic institutions with degree programs in information and other related fields on undergraduate and graduate levels.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
OpenSIGLE, Home to GreyNet's Research Community and its Grey Literature Collections: Initial Results and a Project Proposal
No full textFor the past 15 years, GreyNet has sought to serve researchers and authors in the field of grey literature. To further this end, GreyNet has signed on to the OpenSIGLE repository and in so doing seeks to preserve and make openly available research results originating in the International Conference Series on Grey Literature. GreyNet together with colleagues at INIST-CNRS have designed the format for a metadata record, which encompasses standardized PDF attachments of the authors conference preprints, PowerPoint presentations, abstracts and biographical notes. In April 2008, the first test batch containing records from the Eighth International Conference on Grey Literature (GL8, 2006) was uploaded. A few minor problems that were encountered have since been successfully resolved; and, these metadata records and corresponding attachments are now available for search and retrieval in OpenSIGLE. Subsequent record entries will follow continuing with GL7 (2005) down to GL6 (2004) and GL5 (2003). By December 2008, conference records over the past five years including those from GL9 (2007) will be available in OpenSIGLE. For this phase of the project, a budget of 2000 Euro was appropriated to cover the costs of formatting, conversion, and technical editing of the 100 plus records. Records from the earlier four conferences in the GL Series (1993-1999) will require additional image scanning as well as permission from Emerald (the former MCB University Press). Should this be granted not only would the total number of GreyNet records in OpenSIGLE be doubled but GreyNet s collection would then be comprehensive. Project Proposal: If OpenSIGLE is indeed the best home for GreyNet, then some measure of empirical results should be able to confirm it. Results that would demonstrate benefits for both the GreyNet Collection as well as OpenSIGLE. For it is here, where the crossroads of more than 25 years of bibliographic information on grey literature intersects with 15 years of research on grey literature. The analysis of usage statistics and local metrics can draw on the standards and definitions of the COUNTER project for journals and databases but must take into account that little has been published so far on usage statistics of documents deposited in open archives, that standards, recommendations and empirical evidence are still missing, and that the software for the export of statistics need to be improved. Approach, methodology and preliminary usage data will be presented at the GL10 conference, with special attention to comparative data especially from INIST and GreyNet websites, and to the potential and real impact of PR campaign and referencing on usage. We invite other GL authorities to join our development team in order to enhance the research on usage and users of GreyNet's Collection in OpenSIGLE (data collection, metrics etc.). This may also include the evaluation of the role and impact of OpenSIGLE and GreyNet's Collection on the development and functioning of the international GreyNet community and the creation of community-related tools and functionality (web 2.0). If GreyNet is to factor into the design of the 'Grey Grid' for information society, then not only it's place in serving researchers and educators in the field of grey literature must be re/evaluated but also it s place in serving practitioners in the field. Such a study would help to bring this home.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
Knowledge Generation in the Field of Grey Literature: A Review of Conference-Based Research Results
No full textPerhaps the most cost effective research carried out in information science today is in the field of grey literature. The published proceedings in the GL-Conference Series provide a record of impressive research results in this field of information. These results are based on various and diverse approaches and methodologies, whereby citation data, survey data, systems data, bibliographic and metadata, as well as other evidence based variables and indicators are compiled, processed, and analysed. Notwithstanding the fact that knowledge generation is an important measure of wealth in science and technology, the costs in human and material resources appropriated from research budgets must also weigh-in to determine real effectiveness. Only in this way can our initial rhetoric be transformed into a working hypothesis. This research project, which lies within the structure of the GL-Conference Series, seeks to analyse not only the benefits of research on grey literature but also the costs related to carrying-out and publishing research results. In order to gather evidence-based data, a Project Information Document (PID) Form similar to others that are in place and use elsewhere has been designed to accommodate GL research. The PID-Form will be distributed to those authors/researchers, who respond to the GL8 Call for Papers, as well as to authors/researchers from last year's conference in this series. Results gathered from these research resumes are expected to provide answers to relevant questions such as the percentage of research on the topic of grey literature that is formally funded, the ratio of ad hoc research, the ratio of individual to team research, average research costs and expenses, the duration of research projects, etc. This evidence-based data will then enable us to grasp the cost effectiveness of research on grey literature and compare results with other fields in information studies. In so doing, the results of this study will demonstrate the power of grey literature to other information professionals as well as policy and decision makers, funding bodies and new investors. Furthermore, our results may be seen as indicative for other S and T conferences based on a call-for-papers.Includes: Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa
La letteratura grigia nella comunicazione scientifica: il "Nancy style" per garantire la qualità editoriale dei rapporti tecnici
Full text linkGrey literature in scientific communication: “Nancy style” to guarantee editorial quality of technical reports.
The first part of this report contains a short outlook of the evolution of the concept of grey literature through the years and presents its role as a quick and informal means for the diffusion of scientific information. The Internet has increased the responsibilities of authors and institutions producing grey literature, therefore they should be aware of both editorial standards and ethical considerations behind a worldwide diffusion of information. This is why the “Guidelines for the production of scientific and technical reports: how to write and distribute grey literature” were produced in 2006 (they are informally known as “Nancy style” from the International Conference on grey Literature held in Nancy in that year). The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, the National Institute of Health in Italy), as promoter and active participant in their realization, has translated the Guidelines into Italian to better promote their use in Italy. The second part of the report includes the original version of the Guidelines in English and their translation into Italian. The third part includes an example of the application of “Nancy style” in the Instructions to authors of the technical reports edited by the ISS
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