Open Access Is Open to Problems

I have been an advocate for open access and open source journals because I think that everyone should have the ability to benefit from research and studies that are, in effect, funded by the public; database and journal subscription prices often make such access cost prohibitive. Libraries seem to be jumping on the open access bandwagon, as well as many professors and researchers who write scholarly articles submitted and published through such resources. I'm truly glad to see that this effort has been gaining momentum over the past few years, as I firmly believe this benefits us all.

However (you could see that word coming, couldn't you?), there are also those that take advantage of the system and use it for their own benefit. I saw an article posted on the NPR blog, The Two-Way. My first reaction to this article was that another librarian was being targeted for posting his opinion about a publisher, such as what happened with Dale Askey and Edwin Meller Press. But then I read more into the article and started really understanding what is going on. Publishers are seeing the open access movement and are taking advantage of the opportunity to--how shall I put this?--scam those who wish to publish their work in an open access resource. Mind you, this is not indicative of the "genre" as a whole, but there are always a few bad apples that seem to make a bad name for the entire group.

As mentioned in the NPR article, Jeffrey Beall is the target of a supposed lawsuit brought forward by OMICS publishing which is accusing Beall of committing "a criminal offense" for writing something they claim is "highly inappropriate." (Need I go into the First Amendment and freedom of the press here? I think not.) So what did Beall write that's so offensive? I hear you ask. Well, Beall has a personal blog on which he discusses open access journals and publishers that have questionable practices in their handling of peer review, their dealings with authors, and other critical areas. And this is where I started to go down the rabbit hole. I took a look at Beall's blog.

From Beall's blog, several trends appear in regards to disreputable or questionable open access journals and publishers. First off, they seek out anyone and everyone who will submit something for publication; and while this isn't bad in and of itself, it's questionable when calls for submissions happen in circles or target individuals that have little or nothing to do with the area of information/expertise that the journal supposedly focuses on. Another trend that is apparent is that the fees the journals/publishers charge authors seem to be astronomically more than other open access publications--up to thousands of dollars that the author is expected to pay to have his/her article published. When authors refuse the fee and withdraw their article, sometimes it gets published anyway. A big selling point of these open access journals/publishers is that authors are promised a short turnaround time for peer review, sometimes as little as two weeks. By comparison, other scholarly journals (open access and subscription) have a turnaround time of up to several months. For someone under pressure to publish, the short peer review period can be a big draw. And these are not all of the "no-no's" that open access journals and publishers engage in. Take a look at Beall's Criteria for Determining Predatory Open-Access Publishers. Keep in mind that for each criterion to exist, there is likely a publisher or journal that has done what it warns against.

I personally see Beall as providing a service to grad students, professors, researchers, and others that want their work published. Not all of these individuals know to do their due diligence in finding reputable journals (regardless if they're open access or not) when publishing their work. I didn't realize that there were so many publishers and journals out there that prey upon the members of the research community. For all of those that made Beall's "black list," check his List of Predatory Publishers 2013. There are quite a few.

If you are interested, here are some additional posts from Beall's site I recommend. They will help give you a more complete view of the problem that I could in a single post:
The Onslaught of Questionable Open-Access Journals Persists Unabated
OMICS Ineptly Uses Social Media to Promote its Brands
OMICS Goes from "Predatory Publishing" to "Predatory Meetings"
What's Up with Dr. George Perry?
Documenting Plagiarism in the Journal of Academic and Business Ethics
The Epitome of Predatory Publishers

And here is an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education published back in March that discusses this growing problem.

So what to take away from all of this? 1) Protect yourself. Do your due diligence if you wish to publish an article. Make sure that the publisher doesn't engage in questionable practices. I would research online to make sure that there aren't any unusual complaints about the publisher that fall into line with what Beall warns against. And don't hesitate to use Beall's list as a starting point. 2) Protect others. Help make others aware of this problem and encourage them to stay away from any disreputable or questionable journals. Alert your colleagues, inform your institutions--especially the grad students! Warn everyone that they need to be selective about where they send their work (if they are not self-publishing or publishing through their institution). If you stop feeding the beast, it will die.

I'm saddened to see that something with so much benefit has been twisted in this manner. But forewarned is forearmed.

Roast Chicken Recipe

I was debating whether to post a recipe or talk about a topic that was recently brought to my attention. I decided to post the recipe because time is short today and I want to be able to give the other topic the discussion I think it deserves. So hopefully I'll post about the topic tomorrow. For right now, here's another recipe: roast chicken with port and orange zest.

Before I get into the recipe, I want to insert a brief interlude about cooking alcohol: do not go cheap. I know I've mentioned it before (although I can't remember in which post it was) that you'll want to cook with alcohol that you would actually drink. Now, mind you, there are some very drinkable wines that you can get for only a few dollars (Trader Joe's  Two Buck Chuck comes to mind); I don't have any issue cooking with them. I'm still following the general rule to cook with only what you'll drink. But when it comes to hard liquor (tequila, vodka, cognac, etc.) and things like port, I stay away from the cheapest bottle. You get what you pay for, and the end result--your meal or your beverage--will be better with higher-quality alcohol. Oh, and stay away from anything called "cooking wine." Except if it's Marsala wine, which is rarely used as a table wine.

Okay, now to the recipe. I was actually inspired by a recipe that I had found in my crock pot cookbook. The original recipe was for duck, and despite my hope that the local large supermarket would have said duck there was none to be had. So, I had to improvise and I came up with this. And this is not a crock pot recipe--so don't worry if you don't have one.

What you'll need:
1 whole chicken
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
Herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper
1/2 to 1 c. port (ruby port is OK to use)
1 orange

What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish and set aside (skip if using a non-stick dish). You don't need to wash your chicken (see this USDA article), but remove neck and giblets as necessary. Place breast-up in baking dish.
2. Add the port to a small saucepan and bring to simmering to burn off all the alcohol, about 3-5 minutes. You can also use a metal saute pan (do not use non-stick) and light the port to burn off the alcohol. This step is very important, especially if you have a gas oven.
3. Drizzle half of the olive oil over the chicken, sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, and add salt and pepper. Turn the chicken over so it is lying breast-down in the baking dish. Add the olive oil as you did on the other side. Slowly pour the port over the chicken, then sprinkle on the Herbes de Provence and salt and pepper.
4. Zest the orange and sprinkle the orange zest over the chicken. You can set aside the remainder of the orange and use it later in a gravy made from the chicken's drippings and the port.
5. Put the chicken in the oven and follow a roasting guide for cooking times. A five-pound chicken will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to cook. The chicken will be done when the temperature of the meat reaches 180 degrees and the juices run clear.

The olive oil is a must for any roast chicken. It will help keep the meat moist and make a nice, crisp skin. I highly recommend using the drippings and port in the bottom of the pan from this recipe to make a gravy. Scooter and I use a flour-milk base for the gravy, add the juices in the bottom of the pan, and use Worcester sauce for flavor. With this particular recipe, add orange juice and even some more orange zest to really bring out the orange flavor and pair it well with the roast chicken. Yum!

If you're feeling really industrious, you can make a salad with cut-up oranges, dried fruit and nuts. You can even roast the nuts briefly in the oven as the chicken is cooking. A raspberry vinaigrette or similar dressing will be light enough to not overpower the flavors of the fruits and nuts. Scooter and I like our blood orange-infused olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinegar. Don't be afraid to experiment!

I Have Senioritis

I thought by now that things would calm down enough for me to catch my breath. And they have, to some extent. But life is still, well, life and it consistently seems to want my waking hours to be as *ahem* interesting as possible. To put it bluntly, I feel almost as busy now as I did during this last semester. Admittedly, part of this is my fault. I want to be involved in things: in my program's department, in the volunteer work I do, in family, in fun activities. And I could do all of that, but my sleep may suffer (and has) as a result. Please don't get me wrong--I'm not trying to complain. I'm just surprised at how much other "stuff" I've become committed to. I never really thought of myself as a person with a cause. I still don't, but I have become a part of so much more than I ever saw myself doing before starting my MLIS.

Because I work full-time, I don't get to be as involved in my program department as I could see myself doing. There are some things I have to say no to, mainly student organizations that I wish I had the time for but don't because I have to earn a paycheck (for the little things like rent and bills). But occasionally, something does come along that I can commit to. Something like contributing to a department-run blog, or helping out at the department's convocation ceremony for those who completed their program this last year. The former I was able to do early last week, and the latter I got to help out with this last weekend.

And because I was at Convocation, I think I have contracted a severe case of senioritis. Is that even possible when you're past undergraduate work? I'm ready for my program to be OVER. I'm already counting down the days to my convocation next year. Mom and I have started planning on what type of hotel rooms we'll get, where we'll have dinner the night before and the night of the ceremony, and the logistics of who will be there and how to get tickets. Yes, I know it's a year away, but I can't help it. I'm planning on getting Pomp and Circumstance for my iPod or smartphone so I can play it for myself and my mom, who I'm sure will do what she always does when I've played the song on the piano and get misty-eyed. Scooter is just counting down the days until the time when he no longer has to wash all the dishes because I'm in school. Well, not really, but he'll be glad to "have me back" and not have to share me with my laptop eight months of the year.

So anxious to complete my degree. Definitely have serious senioritis.

Wrapping Up the Semester

This is the last week of the semester. It officially ends on May 13th, but I've given myself a deadline of May 10th (this Friday) to complete my work.

It seems that every semester when I get to this point, I am shocked at how fast the semester has gone. With the amount of work that I've put into my classes--especially my internship--as well as the extra stuff that I volunteer for, it seems doubly true. At the time of this writing, I have completed 127.5 out of 135 internship hours. I have 7.5 hours left to do, 6 of which will be done when I am on-site this week. I have completed 7 substantial projects, worked on 2 ongoing projects that I will likely continue to do as a volunteer, and performed multiple other tasks. I have a solid working knowledge of Drupal, and between my internship and my Drupal class I am confident that I will be able to perform as a Drupal site administrator for any library that hires me in the future. I would note this semester down as a big success, even considering that I had almost too much work to handle.

After this week, I hope things calm down for awhile. I will still be volunteering with MCFL, but only 8-10 hours a month. The rest of May and June will be time for me to relax and recharge for my final semester taking content classes (my last semester will be devoted to assembling and presenting my e-portfolio). My mom and I took a look at the schedule for my graduation ceremony next May and have already started making plans. I know I have some important graduate deadlines to meet this next year (mainly forms that I must submit to be eligible for graduation).

It's the final leg of my journey that I started three years ago, right here on this blog. It's a very odd feeling because until now it didn't feel like my program would ever come to an end. Well, it is. And I can see it, now.

Weekend Adventures

I honestly don't know when it was that I first fell in love with the small coastal town that Scooter and I frequent at least a few times a year. My grandmother lived there when I was growing up, so perhaps it's the memories that have turned my like into love over the years. Whatever it is, it's the place that I dream of living in one day. In a perfect world, I would be able to live there, and cook, garden, and read to my heart's content, and I would work part-time at the county library system.

The town, which is home to less than 1,000 people, is nestled along the coastal highway that travels up and down the coast of California. The highway winds right through the middle of town, bringing tourists in on the weekends throughout the year; the local economy seems to rely on fishing and tourism. And despite the rowdy crowd from the city (of which I don't consider myself one), the town is positively charming. For the weekend tourist, there are several gift shops to choose from, salt water taffy and seafood, and some gorgeous scenery. Bumper stickers for his or her car describe the town as "a quiet little drinking village with a fishing problem" to get a laugh out of friends once the tourist returns home. For the less transient resident--which I file myself under because even though I'm not always there in body, my heart is there year-round--there is a slower, quieter life that you can't always see if you're only there for the weekend. The fog rolls in during the early to mid-morning, cloaking the harbor in a grey mist that obscures the view of the water; the sun burns it off by the afternoon to reveal the marinas, the water, and the shoreline. Gulls call to each other in the hopes of finding food to scavenge, and the seals bark across the harbor. The fog horn bellows every 10-15 seconds, day or night, rain or shine; it keeps boats from crashing on the rocks around the headland that forms part of the entry into the harbor. Ocean winds on the headland guarantee decent kite flying almost all the time. The moisture and salt in the air plays havoc with the metal of vehicles. Winter storms are much more thrilling there than they are in the middle of the suburbs. There is no traffic, not by city standards, and in fact there are no street lights in town. It's an accepted fact that for anything other than regular groceries, one is expected to drive to the next town over to the larger chain stores and supermarkets. It's a different life, and one I hope to someday make mine.

But in the meantime, Scooter and I spend time up there when we can and dream about what it would be like to live there full-time. We stay at my aunt and uncle's summer home, which has a perfect view of the channel used by the boats to sail out of the harbor. This last weekend was also the annual Fisherman's Festival, so we got to enjoy the festivities as well. Here are some pictures from last weekend's adventures:

My favorite beach, just north of the town

The beach has a freshwater creek that runs from the hills on the other side of the road.

Some picturesque houses along the coast

The countryside around the town is home to many farms. You can see cows, sheep, horses, and goats all within a few minutes' drive.

We started the morning of the festival off with a yummy breakfast of homemade crab eggs Benedict. *drool*

Llamas are a regular at the festival. The owner (on the right) brought them out for a walk around to greet people.

Llama close-up!

Local rescue crews used this helicopter to demonstrate a water rescue in the harbor near the festival (a demo they continue to do every year).

On the last day of the festival, the boats in the harbor sail out to the bay, then are blessed by a priest as they come back in. The Blessing of the Fleet is done to protect the boats in the coming year.

That's the sum of my adventures. My aunt and I have already talked about when Scooter and I will be able to go up again. It won't be for a few months, at the least. Not soon enough for me!