A comparative study on characteristics of retracted publications across different open access levels

Purpose:Recently,global science has shown an increasing open trend,however,the characteristics of research integrity of open access(OA)publications have rarely been studied.The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of retracted articles across different OA levels and discover whether OA level influences the characteristics of retracted articles.Design/methodology/approach:The research conducted an analysis of 6,005 retracted publications between 2001 and 2020 from the Web of Science and Retraction Watch databases.These publications were categorized based on their OA levels,including Gold OA,Green OA,and non-OA.The study explored retraction rates,time lags and reasons within these categories.Findings:The findings of this research revealed distinct patterns in retraction rates among different OA levels.Publications with Gold OA demonstrated the highest retraction rate,followed by Green OA and non-OA.A comparison of retraction reasons between Gold OA and non-OA categories indicated similar proportions,while Green OA exhibited a higher proportion due to falsification and manipulation issues,along with a lower occurrence of plagiarism and authorship issues.The retraction time lag was shortest for Gold OA,followed by non-OA,and longest for Green OA.The prolonged retraction time for Green OA could be attributed to an atypical distribution of retraction reasons.A comparative study on characteristics of retracted publications across different open access levels Research limitations:There is no exploration of a wider range of OA levels,such as Hybrid OA and Bronze OA.Practical implications:The outcomes of this study suggest the need for increased attention to research integrity within the OA publications.The occurrences offalsification,manipulation,and ethical concerns within Green OA publications warrant attention from the scientific community.Originality/value:This study contributes to the understanding of research integrity in the realm of OA publications,shedding light on retraction patterns and reasons across different OA levels.

Amend:An integrated platform of retracted papers and concerned papers

Purpose:The notable increase in retraction papers has attracted considerable attention from diverse stakeholders.Various sources are now offering information related to research integrity,including concerns voiced on social media,disclosed lists of paper mills,and retraction notices accessible through journal websites.However,despite the availability of such resources,there remains a lack of a unified platform to consolidate this information,thereby hindering efficient searching and cross-referencing.Thus,it is imperative to develop a comprehensive platform for retracted papers and related concerns.This article aims to introduce“Amend,”a platform designed to integrate information on research integrity from diverse sources.Design/methodology/approach:The Amend platform consolidates concerns and lists of problematic articles sourced from social media platforms(e.g.,PubPeer,For Better Science),retraction notices from journal websites,and citation databases(e.g.,Web of Science,CrossRef).Moreover,Amend includes investigation and punishment announcements released by administrative agencies(e.g.,NSFC,MOE,MOST,CAS).Each related paper is marked and can be traced back to its information source via a provided link.Furthermore,the Amend database incorporates various attributes of retracted articles,including citation topics,funding details,open access status,and more.The reasons for retraction are identified and classified as either academic misconduct or honest errors,with detailed subcategories provided for further clarity.Findings:Within the Amend platform,a total of 32,515 retracted papers indexed in SCI,SSCI,and ESCI between 1980 and 2023 were identified.Of these,26,620(81.87%)were associated with academic misconduct.The retraction rate stands at 6.64 per 10,000 articles.Notably,the retraction rate for non-gold open access articles significantly differs from that for gold open access articles,with this disparity progressively widening over the years.Furthermore,the reasons for retractions have shifted from traditional individual behaviors like falsification,fabrication,plagiarism,and duplication to more organized large-scale fraudulent practices,including Paper Mills,Fake Peer-review,and Artificial Intelligence Generated Content(AIGC).Research limitations:The Amend platform may not fully capture all retracted and concerning papers,thereby impacting its comprehensiveness.Additionally,inaccuracies in retraction notices may lead to errors in tagged reasons.Practical implications:Amend provides an integrated platform for stakeholders to enhance monitoring,analysis,and research on academic misconduct issues.Ultimately,the Amend database can contribute to upholding scientific integrity.Originality/value:This study introduces a globally integrated platform for retracted and concerning papers,along with a preliminary analysis of the evolutionary trends in retracted papers.

An explorative study on document type assignment of review articles in Web of Science,Scopus and journals’websites

Purpose:Accurately assigning the document type of review articles in citation index databases like Web of Science(WoS)and Scopus is important.This study aims to investigate the document type assignation of review articles in Web of Science,Scopus and Publisher’s websites on a large scale.Design/methodology/approach:27,616 papers from 160 journals from 10 review journal series indexed in SCI are analyzed.The document types of these papers labeled on journals’websites,and assigned by WoS and Scopus are retrieved and compared to determine the assigning accuracy and identify the possible reasons for wrongly assigning.For the document type labeled on the website,we further differentiate them into explicit review and implicit review based on whether the website directly indicates it is a review or not.Findings:Overall,WoS and Scopus performed similarly,with an average precision of about 99% and recall of about 80%.However,there were some differences between WoS and Scopus across different journal series and within the same journal series.The assigning accuracy of WoS and Scopus for implicit reviews dropped significantly,especially for Scopus.Research limitations:The document types we used as the gold standard were based on the journal websites’labeling which were not manually validated one by one.We only studied the labeling performance for review articles published during 2017-2018 in review journals.Whether this conclusion can be extended to review articles published in non-review journals and most current situation is not very clear.Practical implications:This study provides a reference for the accuracy of document type assigning of review articles in WoS and Scopus,and the identified pattern for assigning implicit reviews may be helpful to better labeling on websites,WoS and Scopus.Originality/value:This study investigated the assigning accuracy of document type of reviews and identified the some patterns of wrong assignments.

New roles of research data infrastructure in research paradigm evolution

Research data infrastructures form the cornerstone in both cyber and physical spaces,driving the progression of the data-intensive scientific research paradigm.This opinion paper presents an overview of global research data infrastructure,drawing insights from national roadmaps and strategic documents related to research data infrastructure.It emphasizes the pivotal role of research data infrastructures by delineating four new missions aimed at positioning them at the core of the current scientific research and communication ecosystem.The four new missions of research data infrastructures are:(1)as a pioneer,to transcend the disciplinary border and address complex,cutting-edge scientific and social challenges with problem-and data-oriented insights;(2)as an architect,to establish a digital,intelligent,flexible research and knowledge services environment;(3)as a platform,to foster the high-end academic communication;(4)as a coordinator,to balance scientific openness with ethics needs.

Construction of an evaluation system for information openness of local governments

Evaluating government openness is important in monitoring government performance and promoting government transparency. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an evaluation system for information openness of local governments. In order to select evaluation indicators, we conducted a content analysis on current evaluation systems constructed by researchers and local governments and the materials of a case study on a local government. This evaluation system is composed of 5 first-tier indicators, 30 secondtier indicators and 69 third-tier indicators. Then Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) Method are adopted to determine the weight of each indicator. At last, the practicability of the system is tested by an evaluation of the local government of Tianjin Binhai New Area, which has been undergoing administrative reform and attempting to reinvent itself in the past 5 years.

Understanding information seeking behavior of rural women:Field studies in China

Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior,with an emphasis on exploration of the intervening variables that influence information needs and information seeking behavior.Design/methodology/approach:The sample consisted of 27 women from 9 villages in Gansu Province,Anhui Province and Tianjin City,China.Data were collected through in-depth individual interview.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze the data.Findings:Chinese rural women’s needs are basically tied to agricultural technologies,employment and health information.Social network,rather than the Internet,serves as the most frequently used information channel.Women’s cognitive ability,social role and their living environment are the 3 intervening variables that have an impact on their information needs and their information seeking behavior.Research limitations:This qualitative research is based on a small sample and conducted on specific socio-economic settings in China,which may restrict the generalization and application of relevant findings in other settings and countries.Practical implications:The study results will help librarians and information professionals better understand Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior in an effort to find ways to solve problems they may encounter in their information seeking process.Originality/value:This paper introduced an analysis framework that provides an integrated perspective on understanding information needs and information seeking behavior of Chinese women in rural areas.

A study of changing information needs of contemporary public library users in China

Public libraries should be vigilant and responsive to the ever changing information needs of their clientele functioning in a society undergoing through rapid change due to technological innovations. China is currently experiencing a social and technological transformation of great magnitude in terms of metamorphosing itself from a traditional society to one that is driven by information technologies. Our research study, taking this proposition into account, did a questionnaire survey on 954 library information users at five major public libraries. This research study has discovered that the information needs of public library users today reflect some of the peculiar characteristics of their society in changing times which is driven largely by the rapid development and application of new information technologies. It shows that there is a newly added demand emphasis on certain categories of library resources and services by the Chinese reading public. Our research findings have identified such needs basically in the following five functional areas of public libraries, namely, 1) Increased demands for economic resources, 2) rising expectations for more effective and efficient library services, 3) a convenient location and an amicable environment congenial to learning, 4) a suitable place for engaging in intellectual dialogues and in socialization, and 5) a few other technological amenities and information technology-based digital resources and facilities in addition to a rich repository of library materials in print format. Finally, our paper concludes its discussion with a few observation remarks about the changing trend of public libraries' visions, missions and operations vis-à-vis a contextual background of the ever heightened public expectations for getting quality information services in a timely manner in order for them to function effectively in an information-oriented society such as that of ours today.

Investigating the relationships between facets of work task and selection and query-related behavior

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationships between different facets of work task and selection and query-related behavior.Design/methodology/approach:An experiment was conducted to explore the issue. The researcher recruited 24 participants and assigned six simulated work task situations to each of them. Each experiment lasted around 2 hours and was recorded by the software tool Morae.Findings: Time(frequency) and time(length) are more closely related to user’s selection and query-related behavior compared to the facet ‘process’ of work task. Knowledge level of work task topic, degree of work task difficulty, and subjective work task complexity are significantly correlated with selection and query-related behavior. Work task difficulty and work task complexity are different concepts. Subjective work task complexity, work task difficulty, and knowledge of work task topic are significantly correlated with user’s selection and query-related behavior.Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this study include a small sample size,limited work task situations, and possible spurious relationships. This study has implications in informing task-based information seeking/search/retrieval research and interactive information retrieval(IIR) systems design.Originality/values: Previous studies usually did not touch upon how different facets of work tasks affected interactive activities. Some studies examining task complexity and information behavior were concerned with how work tasks affect users’ behavior at information-seeking level, rather than at information search level. This study makes contribution to interactive information retrieval,task-based information search and retrieval, and personalization of IR.

An empirical research on strategic planning in public libraries of China's Mainland

Purpose: As an important issue, strategic planning in public libraries has been paid more attention in China recent years. However, a comprehensive and systematic research, especially strategic models based on empirical studies, is required in the public library strategic planning. The purpose of this research is to investigate the current practices and propose an appropriate reference and guidance of strategic planning in public libraries in China’s mainland.Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire-based survey method is carried out to collect the views of public libraries staff at different levels in China’s mainland. The questionnaire is designed on the following four aspects toward strategic planning in public libraries: The attitude, the status quo, basic issues and the guides. The 882 valid questionnaires are processed by a statistic analysis to reflect the current practices of strategic planning in public libraries in China’s mainland.Findings: Our research results reveal that the unclear and confused understanding of the strategic planning still exist among the public libraries staff in China’s mainland. However, the majority of respondents still believe that the strategic planning in public libraries is significant and the library developments will be affected for lacking strategic planning. Moreover, it is considerable that the strategic plans are jointly made by independent agencies and public libraries, or by the public library itself. Also, guidelines and a set of softwares in strategic planning are needed.Research limitations/implications: The study was restricted to six main areas in China. A wider geographic sampling can preferable show the basic status of strategic planning in public libraries.The procedures of data collection would be another limitation. Nevertheless, case studies should be used in the further research.Originality: The importance of this research originates from a large number of first-hand data about strategic planning in public libraries in China’s mainland. The results provide extra perception into the future development of Chinese public libraries. The understanding obtained from this study will play a part in forthcoming evolution of this area of research.

Chinese college students' understanding of Internet ethical issues: A survey of awareness

Purpose: This study examines Chinese college students’ awareness of ethical issues surrounding the use of information resources and the Internet and their attitude to these issues. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed to students of 9 universities at different levels in Tianjin, China; 171 were returned. Descriptive statistics were performed to analyze the data. Findings: The results indicate that Chinese college students usually ignored the negative influence of fake or pornographic or other indecent information, invasion of privacy and theft of confidential information, and violation of intellectual property rights. Although they could distinguish to some extent between ethical and unethical behavior, they were not concerned about others’ unethical behavior on the Web. The study also indicates that gender, age, academic major and expertise in using computers were related to the students’ awareness of ethical issues relating to the use of the Internet and their attitude to these issues.Research limitations: The sample is limited to the universities in Tianjin. A larger sample, which includes colleges and universities in the western or other developing areas in China, is needed to further validate our findings.Practical implications: The study helps educators and academic librarians better understand Chinese college students’ awareness of and attitude to ethical issues surrounding the use of the Internet. It thus could assist them in the improvement of information ethics education for college students.Originality/value: This study was one of the first empirical studies to investigate the factors influencing Chinese college students’ awareness of and attitude to Internet ethical issues.

Construction of an evaluation system for the service capabilities of government to business (G2B) web portals

On the basis of analyzing both domestic and foreign evaluation systems for the e-government and also taking into account of the current situation of government portals in urban centers,the paper is aimed to construct an evaluation system primarily for the measurement of the service capability of business-oriented G2B portals of local governments in general and those G2B portals of the new development zones in particular.This system is composed of 6 first tier indicators,18 second tier indicators and 90 third tier indicators.And the weight of each indicator is determined by Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) Method.Subsequently,we used this system to evaluate the government portals of Tianjin Binhai New Area and Shanghai Pudong New Area and proved to have the desired practicability.

Graduate education of library science in China:Current status and recommendations for improvement

More than twenty years ago,Wuhan University and Nanjing University offered library science(LS)graduate programs.Since then,LS graduate education has been growing quickly in many aspects.At the same time,however,LS graduate education was also facing enormous challenges stemming from the dynamic development and wide applications of information technologies into the pedagogical arena of teaching and learning at all levels.Social evolution also made it necessary for LS educators to re-examine once again their graduate education model,curricular composition,educational philosophy and educational missions.In analyzing the present situation of LS graduate education in China,this paper focuses on the following issues:1)Growing size of LS graduate education(quantity and quality);2)educational objectives,including research direction and placement for graduates;3)structure of knowledge and curricular construction;4)conditions of administering a library school of high quality and 5)the management of teaching resources.The keystone of this paper is to pinpoint where current library science curricular deficiencies are lying.It is hoped that more serious scholarly discussions and perhaps also even concerted efforts among LS scholars and library practioners may be evoked in having the graduate education system of library and information science thoroughly realigned for the informational needs of the 21st century.

Differences between journal and conference in computer science:a bibliometric view based on Bayesian network

Purpose:This paper aims to investigate the differences between conference papers and journal papers in the field of computer science based on Bayesian network.Design/methodology/approach:This paper investigated the differences between conference papers and journal papers in the field of computer science based on Bayesian network,a knowledge-representative framework that can model relationships among all variables in the network.We defined the variables required for Bayesian networks modeling,calculated the values of each variable based Aminer dataset(a literature data set in the field of computer science),learned the Bayesian network and derived some findings based on network inference.Findings:The study found that conferences are more attractive to senior scholars,the academic impact of conference papers is slightly higher than journal papers,and it is uncertain whether conference papers are more innovative than journal papers.Research limitations:The study was limited to the field of computer science and employed Aminer dataset as the sample.Further studies involving more diverse datasets and different fields could provide a more complete picture of the matter.Practical implications:By demonstrating that Bayesian networks can effectively analyze issues in Scientometrics,the study offers valuable insights that may enhance researchers’understanding of the differences between journal and conference in computer science.Originality/value:Academic conferences play a crucial role in facilitating scholarly exchange and knowledge dissemination within the field of computer science.Several studies have been conducted to examine the distinctions between conference papers and journal papers in terms of various factors,such as authors,citations,h-index and others.Those studies were carried out from different(independent)perspectives,lacking a systematic examination of the connections and interactions between multiple perspectives.This paper supplements this deficiency based on Bayesian network modeling.

The Nobel Prize winners will be among these candidates

“Who will win the Nobel Prize this year” attracts lots of attentions at every year’s end of September and begining of October recent years. Several prizes, e.g. the Wolf prize, Lasker prize, Gairdner prize, etc., have been treated as the predictors of the Nobel Prize.

Public library services to older adults in China:An empirical study based on content analysis

Purpose:The research is undertaken to help the Chinese public libraries answer the growing needs for library services to the elderly.Based on an investigation of the current situation of the services to older adults in China and a comparative analysis of the services in the U.S.,we attempt to explore what improvements the Chinese public libraries can make to better serve the needs of older adults.Design/methodology/approach:We empirically analyzed the older adults services of 271public libraries in China from 2002 to 2011 via content analysis of both the print materials such as the regulations and policies released by these libraries and the related information on the libraries' websites and the Internet Web pages.Findings:Great strides have been made in the Chinese public libraries' services to older adults in constructing service systems,providing facilities and equipment,exploring cooperative programming,and planning diversified and regularly scheduled activities.Compared with American counterparts,however,the Chinese public libraries need to catch up in understanding the elderly people as library users,planning customized services,formulating service guidelines and evaluation systems,and working with other local agencies for cooperative programming for seniors in communities.Research limitations:It is hard to collect more data covering more geographical areas and longer periods of time.The content analysis of libraries' policies and regulations is a very rough approximation of the libraries' 'real' services.The study should be extended to visits to public libraries in the future.Practical implications:This study provides useful information for the Chinese library policymakers to formulate regulations and policies to provide services to older adults.Originality/value:To the best of our knowledge,the comprehensive survey reported in this paper is the first in-depth investigation of the current situation of public library services to older adults in China,providing the analysis framework for more in-depth surveys in the future.

New directions of digitally driven S&T evaluation

Science and Technology(S&T)evaluation plays a baton role in developing science and technology innovation.However,traditional S&T evaluation indicators and methods are difficult to apply effectively in S&T evaluation practice.This paper analyzes the transformation of the S&T evaluation paradigm in the digital environment.Theories,methods,and tools of S&T evaluation research are continuously innovated and optimized;big data becomes the driving force of S&T evaluation development;the role played by S&T evaluation is shifting from a provider of statistical data and information to a participant in S&T decision-making activities.S&T evaluation research should focus on improving data retrieval and organization,knowledge mining and knowledge discovery,and intelligent evaluation models.Moreover,we suggest that scientists carry out S&T evaluation in agreement with the needs of S&T development:1)monitoring and sensing the development of science and technology in real-time with the help of emerging digital technologies;2)exploring solutions to major concerns such as technical project management mechanisms,utilizing advanced data science and digital technologies to identify important scientific frontiers,and leveraging big data in science of science to reveal patterns and characteristics of scientific structures and activities;3)carrying out problem-oriented evaluation research practice focused on four aspects,including intelligent project evaluation,evaluation of the critical technology competitiveness,talent assessment,and diagnostic evaluation of the research entity competitiveness.

Exploring information divide based on a theoretical view of information source horizon

This study sheds light on the information divide based on a theoretical view of Information Source Horizon proposed by Reijo Savolainen. Through a field study, the subjective factors and objective factors have been explored. Aiming to understand the differentiation of information richness or poorness among various people, this paper makes a comparative analysis on the broadness of information source horizon across different groups divided by demographics. Firstly, information richness is not only utilizing the socially designed information space adequately, but also brings subjective dynamics into information practice initiatively. Secondly, people who are unable to get access to these types of information sources own a relatively high possibility to fall into poor information situations. Thirdly, a complex relationship is built between the broadness of information source horizon and demographics of the sample. This study tries to interpret the information divide through a new theoretical perspective, and thus this endeavor is helpful for deepening of information divide research. The findings of this study imply new ideas for governance of information poverty. Creative connections between information source horizon theory and information divide phenomena have been made. Therefore, we contribute a new exploration and explanation for information divide.

Therapeutic observation of cranial suture acupuncture in treating depression

Objective： To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of cranial suture acupuncture plus paroxetine in treating depression, and to discuss the action mechanism of this acupuncture method. Methods： One hundred depression patients were allocated to an observation group and a control group according to the random number table, with 50 cases in each group. The control group was intervened by oral administration of paroxetine tablets, 20 mg each time, once a day for successive 6 weeks; the observation group was additionally given cranial suture acupuncture, once a day for 6 weeks. They were scored by Hamilton depression scale-17 （HAMD-27） before the treatment and respectively after 1-week, 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment. The clinical efficacy and safety were also observed. Results： After 6-week treatment, the total effective rate was 94.0% in the observation group versus 78.0% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant （P〈0.01）. The HAMD-17 scores respectively after 1-week, 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment were significantly lower than the score before the treatment in the observation group （all P〈0.05）; the HAMD-17 scores respectively after 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment were significantly different from the score before the treatment in the control group （all P〈0.05）. There were significant differences in the HAMD-17 score between the two groups respectively after 4-week and 6-week treatment （both P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Cranial suture acupuncture plus paroxetine can ease the symptoms of depression, with faster onset and more significant therapeutic efficacy compared with paroxetine alone.

Self-attribution of digital poverty by rural residents and its implications:Field studies in Anhui,Gansu and Tianjin of China

The paper conducted a grounded theory research on self-attribution analysis by rural residents on their digital poverty status from fields study in Dongzhi County of Anhui Province,Tianzhu of Gansu and Jinghai of Tianjin.It reports main research findings on categories of their feelings of reasons for digital poverty,which include digital ability,digital efforts,digital context and social support.The lack of digital ability is composed of the lack of digitally physical ability,digitally economic ability,digitally psychological ability,and digital literacy,combinations of which can describe the realities of their deficiency of digital ability.Digital efforts consist of time consumed on digital information behavior and using experiences based on it.Digital context is divided into information infrastructure,social norms which refer to social customs,habits,ethics,and epistemology in the digital world,and luck.Social support means social resources including tangible support and emotional support to the digital poor from their social relations and social institutions.Digital poverty model for rural residents is constructed and suggestions on alleviation of digital poverty are proposed.

Value of social capital in bridging accidental digital divide among rural residents:A field report on Jinghai county of Tianjin

The paper reports research findings from a field study on accidental ICT help-seeking behaviors in Huifeng West Village and Tuhe Village of Jinghai County,Tianjin.By employing field observation and in-depth interviews,the relations between local residents’ access to and usage of ICT and their social capital are described:seniors tend to rely on bonding social capital when confronting with difficulties in using mobile devices and computers;the middle-aged always make use of bridging and bonding social capital to shoot ICT troubles and prefer to bridging;children and young adults generally ask for help from friends,or after-sales services in their bridging social capital.