Open-access is the future: boycott locked-down academic journals | Hacker News Reader

Open-access is the future: boycott locked-down academic journals

zephoria.org

33 pointszzkt12 comments

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He misses the simplest, easiest, and most effective action anyone can take:

Don't do reviews for locked-down journals.

Danah Boyd is a she.

and writes her name in lowercase: "danah boyd".

Yeah, which is why it's so much fun to write Danah Boyd instead, at any opportunity.

As I am sure you are aware, "he" is the correct English way to refer to someone of unknown sex. (Though to be honest, I have been trying to switch to using "they")

You're thinking of indefinite pronouns ("If anyone wants to borrow this book, he can come to my office"). This is a different case - you're talking about a specific person whose sex you don't happen to know. 'The author' would have worked fine.

"I saw someone in the distance. He was riding a horse."

Wrong?

I don't like "they" because it's ambiguous. I have been trying to switch to using "it."

I thought "they" was incorrect because it's plural. "He or she" is the way I was taught.

Language evolves. We can help it along! (I probably wouldn't do it in a formal document.)

If authors only sell first digital/online rights, then they retain the opportunity to publish the material online later on.

There are any number of writer's handbooks that advise authors which rights they can sell / not sell.

Very good resource: SPARC: http://www.arl.org/sparc/author/addendum.shtml

e.g., ONLINE Magazine's author guidelines point out: "Authors will be asked to sign a publication agreement prior to the editing process, granting to Information Today, Inc. the right to publish the article in ONLINE magazine in print and electronic formats. (Information Today, Inc. will copyright the issue to protect the entire issue as an entity.) The agreement also stipulates that the author not publish any version or excerpt of the article prior to, or for 90 days following, its publication in ONLINE." http://www.infotoday.com/online/authors.shtml

I already do.

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