---
layout: post
status: publish
published: true
title: ! 'Beware the next wave of academic publishing grimness: apps.'

wordpress_id: 2101
wordpress_url: https://www.martineve.com/2012/05/21/beware-the-next-wave-of-academic-publishing-grimness-apps/
date: !binary |-
  MjAxMi0wNS0yMSAwOTozOToyNSArMDIwMA==
date_gmt: !binary |-
  MjAxMi0wNS0yMSAwOTozOToyNSArMDIwMA==
categories:
- Technology
- Academia
tags:
- Publishing
- OA
comments: []
---
<p><img src="https://www.martineve.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/6012434606_dc9d3115fc_b.jpg" alt="App" title="App" style="width:750px;" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2102" /></p>
<p>Imagine if you could have, in your pocket, access to the world's research information in an easy-to-navigate, accessible format with dynamic add-ons, customizable aspects and links to other pieces of research. Well, we have a way of doing this. The technologies are called XHTML, HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. The <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/confessions/2011/08/on_the_evilness_of_the_emergin.php">problem is</a>, if academic materials are published in those formats, it is harder for publishers to:</p>
<ol>
<li>Lock down material with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management">DRM</a>.</li>
<li>Ensure that you can only use the material in the way they want.</li>
<li>Plaster their branding all over it.</li>
<li>Charge multiple times for the same piece of research.</li>
</ol>
<p>Other unintended consequences include:</p>
<ol>
<li>Digital exclusion: smart phones are prolific, but not ubiquitous. Even more so for tablets.</li>
<li>Accessibility problems: open formats are the best for accessibility because third parties can develop screen readers etc.</li>
<li>Having your device overloaded with publishers. I don't really look forward to having an icon for every publisher in my apps list.</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Format_rot">Format rot</a>. When you get your next device, what's the guarantee that the articles you paid for will be readable?</li>
</ol>
<p>It's also worth pointing out that the expenditure that publishers are putting into developing these apps will surely be cited as evidence against Open Access ("publishers spend $x0000 per year on developing infrastructures. Nobody else could possibly do that"). You've been warned!</p>
<p><i>Featured image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/haco99jp/">haco</a> under a CC-BY-SA license.</i></p>