Links for 7/28/10

Jennifer Howard

One of the top journals in literary studies, Shakespeare Quarterly…

offered contributors the chance to take part in a partially open peer-review process. Authors could opt to post drafts of their articles online, open them up for anyone to comment on, and then revise accordingly. The editors would make the final call about what to publish (hence the "partially open" label). As far as the editors know, it's the first time a traditional humanities journal has tried out a version of crowd-sourcing in lieu of double-blind review.

The verdict from several scholars who took part: mostly a thumbs up…

The journal Nature did a test run in 2006. In a published overview, the editors concluded the venture had not been a success. Many authors expressed interest but few participated, and the quantity and quality of the comments were disappointing.

Interviews with participants in Shakespeare Quarterly's open peer-review trial, however, suggest this attempt went much better than Nature's did. At least one participant pointed out that the humanities' subjective, conversational tendencies may make them well suited to open review—better suited, perhaps, than the sciences...

Eduwonk

Our field’s pathetic and weaponized approach to research and the problem of “study laundering.”…

Bob Samuels

Eva von Dassow from U. of Minessota…

discusses how a small reduction in state funds is being used to justify major changes in the allocation of resources. Like the UC system, activites that make money are being supported, while basic educational and research activities are being starved. In her video, she makes the following important observation: "those programs engaged in the production of knowledge that is readily turned into the money are the targets of investment while the rest are to be downsized into an efficient credit and degree factory.” She also mentions that the university’s revenue has actually gone up, but still they are making dire cuts and forcing faculty and workers to do more for less…

Glass Haffle

I plan to launch a "BB" program at my for-profit school immediately. The Bachelor of Bureaucracy degree will prepare students for a lifetime of gainful employment administering this breathtakingly stupid proposed regulation… I would write a longer post, but I have to get to work figuring out how to continue to educate difficult-to-serve students in a country where you get punished for it...