The recent unprecedented strike action by staff at Springer Nature (https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/journalists-at-springer-nature-titles-set-to-strike-over-pay.html) highlighted a fundamental truth about an industry squeezed by the twin demands of profit and efficiency. Well, who knew that trying to do more with less would eventually [ read more ]
In the early days of my publishing career, I would fret endlessly about how much editorial intervention was appropriate when copyediting a manuscript. I would feel panic when faced with copy that was basically in pretty good shape and needed only a [ read more ]
I freely admit to being one of those really annoying individuals who will silently correct your grammar as you speak, or sigh inwardly at yet another misused apostrophe on someone’s blog/website/post. I can’t help it – it’s practically a reflex action! But [ read more ]
There comes a time when expressions of concern and explicit warnings are not enough – thus the New York-based business arms of global educational publishers Elsevier, Cengage Learning, Macmillan Learning and McGraw Hill have now joined forces to file a lawsuit against [ read more ]
To me, reading is like breathing – I can barely remember a time when I couldn’t read. I read all the ‘Mr Men’ books at 3 years old, and was blessed with wonderful school libraries in the 1970s that introduced me to [ read more ]
My latest delve into the news stories in and around language, editing and state of STEM publishing has predictably revealed a sustained buzz around AI and its ramifications.
‘Publishing Perspectives’ has posted an article summarising the results of an Oxford University Press study [ read more ]
A recent post in The Scholarly Kitchen has confirmed what I have long suspected about myself as a publishing animal: that I’m a detail freak, obsessed with words, and quite nerdy!
The results of the Society for Scholarly Publishing Career Development Committee’s annual [ read more ]
Today is International Tea Day, and I’m celebrating with a nice big mug of my favourite brew before tackling the day’s work – genuinely the most refreshing and reviving moment of the day! As a lifelong tea lover I know I can [ read more ]
Sunday 12 May is National Limerick Day – and what better way to celebrate than to get creative and generate something silly and joyful to share with the world! Just remember …
An editor’s job isn’t easy,
And often the pay is quite measly,
But [ read more ]
With all the technology at our disposal, why is it still difficult to get authors’ names right in journal articles? How is it that any name that doesn’t quite fit the basic ‘forename surname’ convention is immediately in danger of being mangled, [ read more ]