The 110th ICREA Colloquium ‘The strain on scientific publishing’
Speakers: ICREA Research Professor Daniel Brockington (Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB)), Wellcome ECA fellow Mark Hanson (University of Exeter Penryn) and Researcher Pablo Gómez Barreiro (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).
When: 16th of April 2024, 18:00h
Where: Auditorium FCRI, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona
Abstract:
Scientists are increasingly overwhelmed by the volume of articles being published. Total articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science have grown exponentially in recent years; in 2022 the article total was 47% higher than in 2016, which has outpaced the limited growth, if any, in the number of practising scientists. Thus, publication workload per scientist (writing, reviewing, editing) has increased dramatically. We define this problem as the strain on scientific publishing. To analyse this strain, we present five data-driven metrics showing publisher growth, processing times, and citation behaviours. We draw these data from web scrapes, requests for data from publishers, and material that is freely available through publisher websites. Our findings are based on millions of papers produced by leading academic publishers. We find specific groups have disproportionately grown in their articles published per year, contributing to this strain. Some publishers enabled this growth by adopting a strategy of hosting special issues, which publish articles with reduced turnaround times. Given pressures on researchers to publish or perish to be competitive for funding applications, this strain was likely amplified by these offers to publish more articles. We also observed widespread year-over-year inflation of journal impact factors coinciding with this strain, which risks confusing quality signals. Such exponential growth cannot be sustained. The metrics we define here should enable this evolving conversation to reach actionable solutions to address the strain on scientific publishing.
The ICREA colloquia are a great way to learn about remote fields of research from our best experts. We usually have two speakers, three on this occasion, who offer their opinions on the same subject from different angles. They are open to all ICREAs.
Lecture ‘Migració, desigualtats socials i salut’
ICREA Research Professor Seth Holmes will give a public lecture entitled ‘Migració, desigualtats socials i salut’.
The talk will be held on Wednesday 13th of March at 12 pm at the Universitat de Barcelona (Jane Addams Auditorium, Faculty of Geography and History, Universitat de Barcelona, Montalegre, 6-8, 08001 – Barcelona) and it is part of a series of events to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Geography and History.
For further information on this lecture please click here.
The 109th ICREA Colloquium ‘Towards a muon collider’
Speakers: ICREA Research Professor Andrea Wulzer, from the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE) and Prof. Chris Rogers, from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
When: 27th of February 2024, 18:00h
Where: Auditorium FCRI, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona
Abstract:
During the last several decades, experiments at accelerators and colliders with increasing collision energy unveiled a universal description of physical reality in terms of few fundamental particles and interactions. This description incorporates and expands the basic principles of Quantum Mechanics and of Relativity in a theoretical framework known as Quantum Field Theory. It models fundamental physics through a "Standard Model”, which was firmly established in 2013 by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider through the discovery of the Higgs boson.
Particle colliders with higher energy are needed to deepen the investigation of our successful, but incomplete understanding of physical reality. A novel collider concept is being developed, which promises the required jump ahead in energy reach relative to established concepts. This is based on colliding point-like and heavy particles such as the muons.
In these two talks, we will describe the state-of-the-art, the challenges and the future prospects of an ongoing muon collider design program, coordinated by CERN and financed by Europe. We will outline the opportunities and open questions of an integrated research program towards a muon collider in the very diverse areas of theoretical and experimental physics, beam dynamics, accelerator physics and technology.
The 108th ICREA Colloquium ‘Listening to the dark side of the Universe: the dawn and future of gravitational wave detection’
Speakers: ICREA Research Professors Mario Martínez and Diego Blas, both from the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE)
When: 19th of December 2023, 18:00h
Where: Auditorium FCRI, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona
Abstract:
The 2015 direct detection of gravitational waves (GW) opened a new era in our ability to explore the Universe. Since then, the scrutiny of the 10 - 1000 Hz band by the LVK collaboration has detected more than a hundred of mergers of black holes with masses in the range between few times and hundred times the mass of the Sun. In 2023 a signal in the nHz was detected by other methods, and its origin is currently being discussed. In this colloquium, we will address the significance of this detection, the possibilities and status of exploration in different bands of the spectrum of GWs, and discuss one of the most promising ways forward: the Einstein Telescope, with strong leadership from Barcelona institutions.
The ICREA colloquia are a great way to learn about remote fields of research from our best experts. We usually have two speakers, who offer their opinions on the same subject from different angles. They are open to all ICREAs and their guests.
