EASE

Author: EASE Secretary

  • INFORMATION

    Bryant SL, Gray A. 2006. Demonstrating the positive impact of information support on patient care in primary care: a rapid literature review. Health Information & Libraries Journal 23 (2): 118-125.

    The review shows that there is a small body of evidence to demonstrate the positive impact of library and information services on the direct care of patients. There is also a lack of impact studies conducted with non-clinical staff. It is possible, however, to gather evidence of the potential for information services to deliver cost savings.

    http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2006.00652.x

  • POLITICS OF PUBLISHING

    Mermin ND. 2005. Proper citation of the Matthew effect Physics Today 58(4):17, 87

    It points out that the suggested earlier attribution (ibid 58(1):15-16) of the origin of this term (for the tendency to give credit for a scientific advance to the most distinguished of several possible candidates) to Louis & Mary Fieser is incorrect – they used the same Matthew quotation but for a different phenomenon. The original attribution by the author (ibid 57(5):10-11 2004) to Robert Merton (Science 159: 56, 1968) is correct.

    Posted for John Glen

  • INFORMATION

    Virji A, Yarnall KSH , Krause KM , Pollak KI , Scannell MA , Gradison M, Ostbye T . 2006. Use of email in a family practice setting: opportunities and challenges in patient- and physician-initiated communication. BMC Medicine , 4:18

    Emails have the potential to improve communication between physicians and patients. Patients’ interest in using email is high, but t he ‘digital divide’ is still is an ethical concern for this type communication. The results of a survey are reported showing that patients are interested in email communication with the family practice clinic.

    http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/4/18/abstract

  • PRACTICE OF PUBLISHING

    Bonell C, Oakley A, Hargreaves J, Strange V, Rees R, 2006. Assessment of generalisability in trials of health interventions: suggested framework and systematic review. BMJ 333(7563):346-349

    Few randomised trials assess the generalisability of their results. Trials should include evaluations of the feasibility, coverage, and acceptability of interventions. Such information is essential to decisions about adopting new interventions.

  • ETHICAL ISSUES

    APS task force calls for website on ethics education. 2006. APS News. 15(7)1, 3.
    The APS Task Force on Ethics Education has advocated the creation andmaintenance of a web site to serve as a resource for ethics education.There are some existing resources: the APS has an official statement on the issue (http://www.aps.org/statements/02_4.cfm) and has also produced “Guidelines for Professional Conduct” (http://www.aps.org/statements/02_2.cfm). The proposed web site should also include case studies running the gamut from publication practices, conflict of interest, data acquisition, mentoring, issues of bias, and health and safety, among others. The example given involves excluding a graduate student from authorship of a paper which develops a theory that accounts for the student’s results.

    Posted for G. Glen

  • ETHICAL ISSUES

    Kennefick D. 2005. Einstein versus the Physical Review. Physics Today 58(9):43-48
    Reports how Einstein objected when the Physical Review sent a paper of his to a referee, withdrew the paper and subsequently published it in another journal with radically altered conclusions – and never again submitted a paper to Physical Review! The reasons for his changes are discussed as are the policies of early journals about acceptance of papers.

    Posted for J. Glen

  • ETHICAL ISSUES

    Scott, James F. 2006. Unintennded impact of Author Impact Factor Physics Today 59(9):16
    Comments on suggestion by Loc Vu-Quoc that multiple author publications be divided according to the number of authors might have the consequence of deletion of junior collaborators from authorship, also questions whether all authors have to be held responsible for everything in the paper. Reply byVu-Quoc points out that such behaviour would be short-sighted and that ethical gbuidelines such as those of the American Chemical Society clearly state all persons who have made significant scientific contributions to the work would be listed as coauthors.
    Posted for John Glen

  • PRACTICE OF PUBLISHING

    Carroll Sean 2006 Welcome to the Blogosphere APS News 15(5)8
    Describes the rapid development of blogs (magazine-like collections of
    articles published on the Internet) which now include many giving
    information to scientists and also aimed at giving science news to the
    general public. The use of hyperlinks and trackbacks making finding them
    relatively easy. See e.g. Carroll’s own site at www.cosmicvariance.com.

    posted for John Glen

  • PUBLISHING

    “When buzzwords collide”. Using the slogan, and I am not trying to be funny here, “Open Access 2.0”, the Public Library of Science (PLoS) has launched a journal to compete directly with Nature and Science, PLoS ONE. The publication fee will be $1250.

    It’s not clear yet what the “2.0” element of this will be. They talk about commenting and blogging and link to the Topaz Project website, but it says very little, as yet.

  • ETHICAL ISSUES

    Holden C 2006 The undisclosed background of a paper on a depression treatment Science 313:598-9

    Science reports failure to declare conflicts of interest by Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members of Neuropsychopharmacology over an article reviewing a device manufactured by a company for which most of the authors acted as consultants.

  • PRACTICE OF PUBLISHING

    Glänzel W, Schlemmer B,Schubert A, Thijs B. 2006. Proceedings literature as additional data source for bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics 68(3):457-73

    Proceedings of scientific meetings are important sources of scholarly communication and supplement journal literature in basic and applied sciences. In some fields of engineering they seem to be even more important than publishing in periodicals. This study analyses the weight of proceedings literature in all fields of sciences, social sciences and humanities through the ISI Proceedings database; it also explores information about conference location for the analysis of bibliometrically relevant aspects of information flow.

  • LANGUAGE AND WRITING

    Flores G. 2006. Language barriers to health care in the United States.N Engl J Med.20;355(3):229-31.
    Many patients who need medical interpreters have no access to them. Language barriers can have deleterious effects. Patients who face such barriers are less likely than others to have a usual source of medical care; they receive preventive services at reduced rates; and they have an increased risk of nonadherence to medication