The purpose of the overall project is to analyse the quality standards of scientific works as defined and regulated within contemporary academic publishing and determine whether and to what extent does a dissemination model effect these standards. The purpose of the empirical part is to analyse the understanding of the concept of diverse quality standards in scientific journals and the mechanisms of the regulation of quality in scientific journals that use open, closed or hybrid dissemination (CA/OA/HM journals) model.
The objectives of the empirical part are the following:
- to study and ascertain the significance that the individual research participants (editor of CA or OA or HM scientific journal) ascribe to the concept of quality in general and three of the most important quality standards in particular (originality, validity and significance) in scientific journals;
- to study the forms that quality standard takes in scientific journals (CA/OA/HM), as such are understood by the individual research participants;
- to study the mechanisms of the regulation of quality standards in scientific journals and the manners of their implementation as such are identified, understood, and applied by the individual research participants.
The final objective of the overall dissertation is to determine and provide deeper insight into the contemporary manners and forms of defining the concept of quality standards (especially originality, validity and significance) in scientific works and into the mechanisms of the regulation of quality standards in scientific works, in relation to the dissemination model that they use.
PERFORMED ACTIVITIES AT THE MPIIC
- Study & revision of literature for the theoretical part of the research (additional databases and literature, available at MPIIC);
- Design a questionnaire for the first part of the empirical research (on-line questionnaire);
- Conduct the first part of the research (administrative/organizational activities such as putting survey on-line, writing invitations).
- The analysis of the results of the first part of the empirical research.
- Preparation of the question for the second part of the research (qualitative interviews via Skype or phone).
CURRENT STATE OF THE PROJECT
• I’ve finished the first part of the survey. A response level that I targeted was 100 completed questionnaires and 30 volunteers for interviews.
The response by the editors was much better than expected. By 13th September:
o 258 editors completed the questionnaires and
o 45 editors volunteered to be interviewed in the second part of the survey.
• I did first part of the analysis of the results and (on the basis of that) prepared questions for the second part of the study. In last 10 days of September, I did 5 pilot interviews with editors. Currently, I am preparing transcripts of already performed interviews.
