Scrutinising the scrutineers

Two issues have been marching up the news agenda here at IWR in the last few weeks: fair use of copyright material, and the role and importance of peer review.

Without doubt, the slide down towards the end of the year is not going to be an easy one. Some difficult questions need to be asked of the industry. As with scientific research, the answers are not black or white, yes or no.

Fair use is by far the most complex. There is a long list of reasons for more fair use, including economic ones, and today’s plethora of social computing services rely – or hope – that the material they are using is covered by fair use.

But information holders and providers are not in the wrong for seeking to protect the copyright of individuals who take the time and make the effort to increase
everyone’s understanding of the world around us. This is of particular importance for scientists, humanities experts and the literature community. Few archaeologists are rich, and the same is true of scientists and most literature experts and novelists. JK Rowling’s excellent works may have shot her into The Times rich list, but she is as unique as the stories she tells. If experts and creatives earn nothing for their work, they will give up and science will grind to a halt just as malaria is back on the rampage.

Which brings me to peer review. Nobody to my knowledge is threatening to destroy peer review. There are debates about how to improve it. There are also groups
that think a slight alteration in the business model will destroy it – an argument that should, if well made, be heard out and assessed. What interests me in all of this, is
that nowhere is there anyone laying out the true costs of peer review. To maximise the benefits of peer review, those using it, protecting it and looking to improve it must be able to argue and formulate ideas from the most informed basis possible. And isn’t that the very basis of the information world – to be informed and to make informed decisions?

mark.chillingworth@incisivemedia.com

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!