Jun 23, 2023 |
6 Mins Read
Zendy Signs Global Agreement with IT Governance Publishing
[United Arab Emirates, June, 2023] – Zendy, the AI-powered digital research library, has a global licensing agreement with IT Governance Publishing, a leading provider of books on information technology, cybersecurity, and governance. As the demand for access to quality research continues to grow, Zendy is providing a solution to help promote a more equitable access model for individuals who are not associated with an institutional library. With a vast collection of scholarly literature, Zendy strives to help publishers increase the visibility of their content to a growing audience of over 170,000 registered users from 162 countries. IT Governance Publishing is known for its extensive portfolio of books focusing on information technology, cybersecurity, data protection, and governance best practices. This partnership will see IT Governance's titles added to Zendy's research library, enhancing the platform's diverse range of content. "Zendy is committed to providing users with the most comprehensive and diverse collection of research material possible," said Zendy Co-founder, Kamran Kardan. "We are thrilled to partner with IT Governance and make their publications available to our users. Partnerships enable our mission to democratise access to knowledge, bridging the gap between researchers, students, and professionals globally. Through increased accessibility, we strive to reduce inequalities and empower individuals to drive innovation and make a lasting impact on society." “When I first met the team at Zendy and they explained what they had planned, I knew the importance of partnering with them, their mission is something that I believe is a great opportunity to grow equality around the world,” said IT Governance Publishing Relations Manager, Andreas Chrysostomou. In today's interconnected world, accessing diverse perspectives and research from across the globe is paramount. By providing a platform that transcends borders, Zendy ensures that users from different countries and regions can benefit from a wide range of scholarly resources, fostering a rich and inclusive learning environment. Learn more about Zendy: www.zendy.io About Zendy Zendy is a product of Knowledge E. Since its inception in 2019, Zendy has connected over 170,000 users to academic journals, proceedings, articles, e-books, and more. Zendy is on a mission to make academic literature more affordable and accessible for students, researchers, and professionals worldwide. Zendy was awarded Best Startup – Education at the Middle East Technology Excellence Awards 2022. About IT Governance Publishing IT Governance Publishing is a leading provider of books, training, and consultancy services in the fields of information technology, cybersecurity, and governance. With a comprehensive range of resources authored by industry experts, IT Governance Publishing supports individuals and organisations in enhancing their IT performance, managing risk, and complying with relevant regulations.
See The Top 5 Reads of May 2023
Research is the foundation upon which progress and innovation are built, pushing the boundaries of knowledge in various fields. From healthcare to art, government to advertisement, and education, research papers across disciplines offer valuable insights. In this blog, we embark on a multidisciplinary journey, where we delve into five distinct research papers from different areas of study. Each paper provides a unique perspective, addressing critical challenges, uncovering societal issues, or presenting novel approaches to enhance understanding and drive change. The Challenges in Child Health Research This research paper thoroughly recognises the advancements in child healthcare and suggests that child health research stands as a model for developing knowledge in healthcare. However, the quality and quantity of child research are restricted in several ways, making healthcare professionals rely on adult health studies. The study finds that in 5 high-impact journals, adult trials and studies increased by 4.71% per year while child trials increased by 0.4% per year. This paper advocates for pediatric researchers to intensively consider a child’s age and development stage when prescribing medication or treatment. Read more here: The Challenges in Child Health Research Gender-based Portrayal in Global Television Advertisements This case study conducts a comparative analysis within the sphere of television advertising. Observing the differences in the portrayal of men and women within commercials, the researchers especially took into consideration the primary character’s age, voiceover, products associated, home and work settings and working role. Sampling data from 13 Asian, American and European countries, the study found that gender stereotyping was prevalent globally in television advertisements regardless of the state of gender equality within the respective countries. Read more here: Gender-based Portrayal in Global Television Advertisements Dissecting Multiple Production of Artworks: Authenticity & Gremline Editing This paper considers the ethical concerns and questions about artwork reproduction and its potential applications to gremline editing. As a starting point, the author references the 1935 Walter Benjamin essay titled; the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. The paper goes on to discuss the concept of the ethical and aesthetic relevance of art pieces with regard to the original artist’s vision. Read more here: Dissecting Multiple Production of Artworks: Authenticity & Gremline Editing Disaster Risk Management This chapter introduces disaster risk management, stating that the process relies on the institution, policy, and scientific and technological progress. It suggests that increasing disaster risk management capacity is key to improving the utilisation effectiveness of disaster reduction resources, the text also reflects on Ulrich Beck’s risk society theory which is that risk society is a systematic way of dealing with hazards and insecurities induced and introduced by modernisation itself. Read more here: Disaster Risk Management Integration of Photovoice to Build Student’s Confidence in Public Speaking This case study observes the extent of confidence photovoice is capable of building in students when it comes to public speaking. The indicators focused on within this study are eye contact, enthusiasm improvement, body language, critical thinking and fluency, the study was conducted on 2 students in the second grade of language major. This research utilised 3 key methods of measurement; a rubric of public speaking, classroom observation and student self-reflection. Read more here: Integration of Photovoice to Build Student’s Confidence in Public Speaking Discover millions of e-books, journal articles, proceedings and more on Zendy now.
Zendy Integrates IEEE Metadata into its Digital Research Library
United Arab Emirates – June 2023 – Zendy, a UAE-based education technology startup, announced the addition of metadata from IEEE open access content to its digital research library. IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, will add its metadata to Zendy’s growing platform. This agreement helps to further increase the discoverability of IEEE’s top-cited content which covers a wide range of technologies including aerospace, artificial intelligence, computing, power systems, renewable energy, robotics, semiconductors, and more. With this agreement, IEEE open access content is now discoverable within the Zendy platform, enabling any users to link through to access the full-text from the IEEE Xplore Digital Library. Zendy is an intuitive digital academic library hosting millions of Open Access resources that make the research process easier with the use of AI. Zendy's AI-based summarisation and keyphrase highlighting tools comprehends the underlying meaning of research papers, resulting in more accurate information for the researcher. A combination of machine learning algorithms, content-based filtering, and collaborative filtering combine to deliver personalised search results for the end user based on their area of interest. Zendy provides access to an international offering with resources in more than 75 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. IEEE’s metadata addition to Zendy’s Open Access offering, which features over 43 million Open Access publications, further strengthens both companies' mission to enhance and empower lifelong learning opportunities for knowledge communities globally. CEO of Knowledge E and Zendy Co-Founder, Kamran Kardan, commented, “Zendy’s agreements with leading publishers such as IEEE are a core step in our vision to empower discoverability and accessibility to top-tier content. These agreements play a crucial role in providing inclusive access to academic research, and it’s great to see the industry creating an ecosystem of collaboration that ensures more people can leverage evidence-based research to further their knowledge in any respective field.” To find out more about Zendy, visit: www.zendy.io. About Zendy Zendy is a product of Knowledge E. Since its inception in 2019, Zendy has connected over 150,000 users to academic journals, proceedings, articles, e-books, and more. Zendy is on a mission to make academic literature more affordable and accessible for students, researchers, and professionals worldwide. Zendy was awarded Best Startup – Education at the Middle East Technology Excellence Awards 2022.
Breaking Down SJR Scores: A Guide to Understanding Academic Journal Performance
What is SJR? The SJR (Scimago Journal Rank) is a metric that measures the prestige and impact of scientific journals. It is based on the concept of prestige transfer via citation links. Developed by the Scimago Lab, the metric ranks journals based on the citations received by their articles and the SJR scores of the citing journals. The SJR metric considers not only the total number of citations but also the quality of the citing journals as the subject field, quality and reputation of the journal have a direct effect on the citation of SJR. A higher SJR score indicates that a journal has received more citations from other prestigious journals, signifying a higher level of influence and impact within the scientific community. However, the Scimago Journal Rank is just one of many metrics utilised to evaluate the quality and impact of scientific journals, and it should be considered alongside other measures such as the impact factor, h-index, and expert opinion when assessing the significance of a journal. Why should you utilise SJR? The Scimago Journal Rank is a public resource, meaning no subscription is needed to access and view any journal’s rank or score. SJR covers all disciplines, taking into account all relevant aspects of a journal tailored to the subject area. Moreover, the rankings are optimised to factor in the differences in citation behaviour between disciplines. It can be argued that SJR is a well-rounded metric, here are some key benefits of utilising it: Evaluate journal quality SJR provides a quantitative measure of the prestige and impact of scientific journals. The score considers both the number of citations received by a journal and the quality of the citing journal. By utilising SJR, you can easily assess the relative importance and influence of different journals within a discipline. Identify influential journals SJR scores journals based on their impact and visibility within the scientific community. The score can identify the most influential journals in your area of research, allowing you to target your publications to maximise their impact and reach. Compare journals within a field SJR provides a comprehensive comparison of different journals within a discipline. You can assess the standing and ranks of journals based on their SJR scores and determine which ones are more widely recognised by the scientific community. Benchmark research output SJR also provides rankings at national and institutional levels. It can assist in benchmarking the research output of different countries or institutions, enabling you to assess their scientific productivity. Stay updated on scientific trends By regularly consulting SJR, you can keep track of the evolving landscape of scientific journals, including emerging journals, new research areas, and trends within your field of interest. How is SJR calculated? The SJR (Scimago Journal Rank) is calculated using a methodology that counts the number of citations a journal receives. The source of citations is also taken into account; citations from prestigious citing journals. The steps involved in calculating the SJR score are: Collection of data: The methodology is initiated by collecting data on citations from Scopus, which is a comprehensive bibliographic database of scientific literature. Weighting citations: Each citation received by an article within the journal is weighted based on the importance of the citing journal. The methodology considers the SJR of the citing journal as an indicator of its prestige. Higher-ranked journals contribute more to the SJR score of the journal being evaluated. Normalisation: To account for differences in citation practices between fields of study, the SJR algorithm implements a normalisation process. This process adjusts variations in citation patterns and citation potential across different disciplines. Prestige of the citing journals: Journals that receive citations from more prestigious and influential journals are given higher weight in the calculation. Journal self-citations: Self-citations, which are citations made by a journal to its own articles, are excluded from the SJR calculation. This ensures that self-referencing does not influence a journal's SJR score. Iterative calculation: The Scimago Journal Rank is calculated iteratively, taking into account the rank scores of the citing journals. This iterative process helps adjust the scores and establish a relative ranking of journals within specific subject categories. What are the limitations of SJR? While the SJR (Scimago Journal Rank) metric is widely used and provides valuable insights regarding the impact of scientific journals, it is important to consider its limitations. Some of the limitations of the SJR metric are: Subjectivity of Journal Rankings The rankings provided by SJR are based on algorithms that consider citation data and the prestige of citing journals. However, the determination of prestige is subjective and can vary across different research communities or disciplines. The choice of specific journals in the Scopus database can also have biases in the rankings. Limited Coverage SJR relies on the Scopus database for citation data, which may not include all journals across all disciplines. Certain fields or niche journals may be underrepresented in the database, leading to an incomplete representation of the research landscape. Focus on Citations SJR heavily relies on citation data as the primary focus of a journal's impact. While citations can be a significant unit of measurement, they do not capture other aspects of a journal's quality, such as editorial standards, scientific rigour, or societal impact. The metric does not assess factors like the published research's novelty, originality, or practical applicability. Time Lag SJR scores are updated annually, which means there can be a time lag in reflecting the most recent developments and impact of journals. This delay may not capture the immediate influence of newly published research. Field Normalisation Challenges While the Scimago Journal Rank attempts to normalise citations across different fields, variations in citation practices and publishing patterns can still have biases. Certain disciplines may have higher citation rates due to their nature or popularity, leading to potential imbalances in the rankings. Limited Transparency The specific details of the algorithm used to calculate SJR scores, including the weighting and normalisation methods, are proprietary information and not publicly disclosed. This lack of transparency can make it difficult to fully understand and critique the metric. What is the difference between Scimago Journal Rank and Journal Impact Factor? The journal impact factor is a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year. It is used to measure the importance or rank of a journal by calculating the times its articles are cited. The calculation is based on a two-year period and involves dividing the number of times articles were cited by the number of articles that are citable. The main differentiating point of SJR and Journal Impact Factor is that the Scimago Journal Rank measures prestige and Journal Impact Factor measures citation impact. Both metrics utilise citations to settle a journal’s score. Moreover, both metrics rely on different databases, SJR relies on Scopus while Journal Impact Factor relies on Journal Citation Reports (JCR), these well-reputed databases assist the algorithms with which each score is decided. Additionally, SJR scores are optimised to compare journals across disciplines while the journal impact factor is not; using this metric you may only compare journals within one discipline. In conclusion, the Scimago Journal Rank is a valuable metric that determines the prestige of a specific journal. This article explored why as researchers, you should be utilising SJR and how it is calculated while highlighting the metric's limitations. To help you gain a better understanding, the article also included a brief comparison between the Scimago Journal Rank and Journal Impact Factor. While SJR is arguably a well-rounded metric, it should not be the only method of analysis and should be considered along with other metrics and expert opinions to draw final conclusions about a specific journal.
Starting A Career In Research Can Be Daunting - Here’s A Step-By-Step Guide!
Research is the systematic study of knowledge or information on a specific topic of interest. The advancement of technology we see in our world today across the fields of engineering, medicine, architecture, agriculture and more is possible because of the contribution of researchers. If you have a natural curiosity for exploring new ideas, a career in research might be the perfect fit for you. However, getting started in this field can seem daunting, as there are various paths you can take. In this blog, we will guide you through the measures you can take to launch a career in the ever-growing field of research; we discuss everything from identifying your research interests to obtaining the necessary qualifications and exploring different job opportunities. Educational Requirements to Have A Career in Research A career in research is immensely beneficial for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. The beauty of having a career in research is all the different branches of subjects that are open to exploration; scientific research and a plethora of commercial and public sector research are great examples of the variety. To excel in research, the key quality is to have knowledge and dedication towards your chosen specialism; since research is a field heavily associated with academia and education, a strong educational background is also required, you must have a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree. A career in research can also be obtained with just a bachelor's degree. As you progress within your education, you may also climb up the career ladder within research, most positions in the field of research require a master's degree and experience with research coursework. Potential Jobs and Industries To Pursue Launching a career in research opens doors across various industries like educational institutions, government institutions, industrial laboratories, corporate institutions, hospitals, insurance companies, private companies and industries. These fields can advance their policies, technology and progress because of the research conducted to find solutions and further improve practices. Listed below are the positions you can take on to build your career in research. Research Psychologist: As a researcher in psychology, you will be working across studies and research projects specialising in the study of human and animal behaviour. This area of study is usually beneficial to the health sector and experiments are typically conducted under the supervision of universities and relevant health organisations. Medical Research Scientist: The field of medicine is always evolving. As a researcher in medicine, you will be tasked to develop medicinal cures for diseases; the responsibilities that come with this role are to plan, conduct, record & derive solutions from relevant experiments. This area of study is typically required in research institutions, hospitals, and government laboratories. Biological Science Researcher: The field of biology leads you to discoveries and explorations that are directly connected to organisms. The scope of research within this field is to closely study the life cycle of organisms and find effective solutions to issues they may face. This area of study is usually utilised in government agencies. Market Research Analyst: This role assesses consumer behaviour to analyse and predict the suitability of a product or service within the relevant market and demographic. This role also delves into the financial information of companies to analyse and derive profits and losses. Agriculture and food scientist: This role is dedicated to researching methods to improve the efficiency and safety of agricultural establishments and products. Agriculture and food scientists usually work in food manufacturing facilities, research & development in life sciences and universities and government entities. Physical scientist: Specialising in sciences dedicated to non-living objects, physical scientists are involved in physics, chemistry, astronomy and geology. The research involved in these disciplines focuses on physical properties and energies. Physical scientists usually work in academic settings and private industry or research organisations. Research mathematician: As a research mathematician, you would be involved in providing abstract theorems, and developing mathematical descriptions to interpret and predict real-life concepts. You would also be involved in the application of mathematical principles to identify key trends in data sets. This role presents the opportunity to pursue a particularly diverse range of pure and applied maths like algebra, combinatorics and numerical analysis to name a few. Research mathematicians usually work in research or commercial organisations. Economic research analyst: The role of an economic research analyst is to review and analyse economic data to prepare reports detailing the results of executed research. This role also requires you to conduct surveys to determine and analyse occupational employment statistics, wage information, labour supply and demand, tax revenues, agriculture production and insurance and utility rate structures. Being an economic research analyst is a well-rounded role that is in demand in an array of sectors. How can you conduct effective research within your discipline? Conducting adequate research is a crucial skill for academics and professionals. The process of conducting research can be complex and time-consuming, requiring careful planning, attention to detail, and critical thinking skills. To execute effective research, you must be able to identify your research question or objective, locate and evaluate relevant sources, and synthesise information into a meaningful and coherent body of knowledge. However, to stay on top of the exchange of information and research within your area of study, you must implement the following practices and strategies: Work on important problems To build a successful career in research, it's imperative to develop an acute sense of importance to assess which problems are worth solving. As conducting research is not simply answering a question, it is a deep exploration of all aspects of a single issue; with limited resources, the most pressing issue is awarded a solution. Furthermore, the research you take on builds your portfolio as a researcher. Addressing and working on important and prevailing issues gives noteworthy results that can improve your leverage as a researcher within your field. Be welcoming to new issues While researching a specific topic, as a researcher, you may encounter another issue that does not have as much research on it. It’s important to look for new questions and aspects of research within problem areas in your respective field as these are usually motivated by current affairs within the discipline. You will need to acquire the skill to explore something entirely new within an area of study, not only will this bring your research more visibility as it will give new insight and perspective but it will also be a topic that you explored first. Know the literature The best practice to stay informed within your discipline is to read the available academic literature. This will sharpen your ability to not only write your own research but also recognise which topics are emerging and what has been previously done. As a researcher, the best habit you can create for yourself is to read. Any research paper that is accessible to you will potentially provide not only new aspects of research to you but also become more knowledgeable of your discipline. In conclusion, starting a career in research can be daunting, however, with these key strategies and roles; you can map out which sector and position your abilities and qualifications are best suited for. Due to research being an ever-growing field, there are endless discoveries to be made and with the growth of the open access movement; the field of research is becoming more diverse and open to the contribution of all relevant demographics.