In this episode we chat with Kathleen Shearer, Executive director of Confederation of Open Access Repositories, hearing her views on repositories in open research.

View Kathleen's bio on the COAR website: https://www.coar-repositories.org/about-coar/

Research talk: repositories in open research - Kathleen Shearer

Tim Fellows is joined by Dr Alex Freeman, founder of Octopus.ac, to discuss the platform and its future developments. Together, they explore how Octopus could align with researcher incentives and positively impact research culture.

Dr Alex Freeman, executive director at Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication and founder of Octopus.ac, started her career at the BBC. Alex’s work not only involved the development and making of television series, but also working with associated content to bring science to the widest possible audience. Her work at the Winton Centre focuses on helping professionals communicate numbers and uncertainty better. Being an advocate of Open Research practices and reform of the science publishing system led  her to founding Octopus, a platform designed to provide a new ‘primary research record’ for recording and appraising research ‘as it happens’.

In this episode, we examine how Octopus.ac can resolve the current constraints in research publishing and share what we are up to at the moment, from outreach to platform developments. We consider the benefits of discovering research in Octopus, breaking down research into smaller publications and publishing open peer reviews. We also raise the topic of impact factors, the limitations and the alternative metrics that might support quality research.

Research talk: positively disrupting publishing with Octopus - Dr Alex Freeman

Our ‘Is AI for me? Perspectives from the humanities’ miniseries returns with part four with guest Leif Isaksen and guest host, Peter Findlay.

Our miniseries returns after its summer break with part four, and we’re handing over to a new guest host, Peter Findlay, our subject matter expert for digital scholarship. In this episode, Peter is joined by professor of digital humanities at the University of Exeter, Leif Isaksen. From his undergraduate degree in Philosophy at King’s College, Cambridge, Leif has gone on to work in Southampton’s archaeology department and Lancaster University’s history department. Now at the University of Exeter and as a fellow at the Alan Turing Institute, Leif’s interests are in spatial and temporal representation in the humanities - both in the ancient world and the modern one - and the paradigm of Linked Open Data to relate online resources about the past.

In this episode, Leif and Peter discuss the impact of digital approaches on historical map research, the emergence of new tools for large multidimensional map datasets and the development of map research at scale. They consider the impact of AI technologies, such as neural networks, and how they affect notions of truth and the role of humans in the research process. Together, they explore interdisciplinary working, how we can evolve a baseline set of capabilities for digital working, and the positive application of AI to learning, teaching and research.

Research talk: enriching research with computational methods - Leif Isaksen

In the penultimate episode of our "Is AI for me?" miniseries, guest host Peter Findlay is joined by Huw Jones to discuss the age of artificial intelligence.

We've almost reached the end of our miniseries, "Is AI for me? Perspectives from the humanities", with the fifth instalment as Huw Jones, head of the digital library unit and digital humanities coordinator at the University of Cambridge, joins us to discuss librarians, researchers and collections in the age of artificial intelligence. Huw's role has evolved beyond the library, being both the creator and the facilitator of digital content creation.

In this episode, Huw and Peter discuss the different ways to provide digital collections, and they explore how AI might impact collection research and what it might mean for librarians to be confronted by an entire collection generated by AI. Together, they consider how digital methods allow librarians to learn new things about their collections and the value of seeing what is revealed through processes and techniques for engaging with collections.

Research talk: librarians, researchers, and collections in the age of AI - Huw Jones

University of Wollongong's top three tips - member story audio

We've reached the final episode of our "Is AI for me?" miniseries, in which Ruth Ahnert joins guest host Peter Findlay to discuss the relationship between humans and machines. 

In the final instalment of our miniseries "Is AI for me? Perspectives from the humanities", we're joined by Ruth Ahnert, professor of literary history and digital humanities at Queen Mary, University of London. A Turing Fellow and co-author of Collaborative Historical Research in the Age of Big Data, Ruth's academic career started as an "analogue" humanities scholar. Since then, she has collaborated with data scientists, and her work has increasingly engaged with computational methods. 

In this episode, Ruth and Peter explore the relationship between humans and machines, how the latter can aid critical thinking and how source evaluation of data can help us understand the outcomes of AI processes. They go on to talk about 'Living with Machines', a five-year research project conducted by the Alan Turing Institute, delving into some of the findings that show humanist approaches are influencing how scientists tackle complex problems. Ruth talks about large-scale data and the shift towards its use in the humanities. They close this final episode, touching on the transferable skills for the workplace that humanities students develop by mastering digital methods and a critical grasp of cutting-edge technologies.

Research talk: humans and machines - Ruth Ahnert

Emily Wild hosts a discussion on research culture and assessment with Alex Freeman, creator of Octopus, and Simon Hettrick, chair of the Hidden REF.

In this episode, our guests discuss the need for change in research assessment and how this can be achieved. Delving into the limitations of traditional methods, the conversation introduces the innovative Hidden REF initiative, championing a shift towards broader recognition of diverse contributions to research beyond the confines of conventional academic outputs. Join the guests as they navigate the complexities of the current research assessment landscape and offer a glimpse into the promising future envisioned by the Hidden REF campaign.

Alex explores the Octopus platform and its role in reshaping research sharing and assessment. The conversation delves into the difficulties of assessing nontraditional outputs and the concerns raised by researchers about the peer review process for such outputs. The hosts reflect on the potential for iterative changes leading to a better research assessment landscape, with a focus on the REF 2029 submission cycle.

Research talk: Research assessment, the Hidden REF, and Octopus - Alex Freeman and Simon Hettrick

Anna Vernon hosts an exploration of the recently launched review of transitional agreements with community experts Chris Banks and Professor Stephen Curry.

In this episode, our guests discuss the review of transitional open access agreements. They focus on reactions to the review, what the review means for the research sector, and the feasibility of achieving a more open research culture.

All views from the speakers are their own personal views and do not reflect the views of Jisc.

Research talk: repositories in open research - Kathleen Shearer

Jisc

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