TextRelease

 

Now that both grey and white literature freely circulates on the web, the traditional borderline between the two genres becomes more and more indistinct. Some of the characteristics traditionally associated with GL in the pre-Internet age (such as limited circulation, poor editorial quality, absence of peer review), do not apply to the GL of the 21^st century. Yet, also white literature (mainly scientific journals and e-books)  is rapidly changing and becomes closer  to GL in its new and often controversial vocation of being open and free on the Internet  even in its earliest stages, according to different OA publishing models (such as  ahead-of-publication articles or new OA experimental journals, “un-journals”, or e-books). A new form of scientific conversation including both traditionally white or grey literature is going to replace old categories; according to the most recent trends in information policies at European and international level, authors are also asked to link scientific data (data sets) to their research articles, thus accelerating the progress of science by further sharing existing information and adding grey nuances to white literature.   Moreover, alternative dissemination patterns (namely through mobile technologies and social networks) are rapidly being developed and widely utilized, initially only by the youngest generations and now by all age groups at global level. In this context, the production and dissemination of scientific contents on the web requires new levels responsibilities and skills for all stakeholders (primarily authors of scientific publications, editors and librarians). In most cases, training is necessary to create awareness on the different ethical and technical implications associated with open access publishing, including both white and grey literature. The training experience carried out in this regard within the NECOBELAC project (www.necobelac.eu) will be reported with special focus on the difference between white and grey literature (if any). NECOBELAC (NEtwork of COllaboration between Europe and Latin America and Caribbean countries) is a project funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework program (Science in Society) in the period February 2009 - July 2012. The project partners belong to academic and scientific institutions in Europe and Latin America (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy, project coordinator; The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain; BIREME, PAHO/WHO, Brazil; Instituto de Salud Pública, Colombia; Universidade do Minho, Portugal). The main objectives of the NECOBELAC project were to: improve scientific writing; create awareness of open access publishing, and establish durable collaborations among academic and scientific institutions from European and Latin American countries in the field of public health. These objectives were achieved through three main actions including the development and implementation of a two-level training  strategy  including courses for trainers (T1)  and local training replication activities (T2); innovative training tools (NECOBELAC topic maps) to be utilized in the training activities above; a network of  health institutions and ICT supporting systems  in Europe and Latin America to support the training activity, promote health information dissemination and stimulate new research collaboration on specific public health topics. The results achieved by the NECOBELAC project will be presented with special reference to GL implications. In brief, NECOBELAC carried out 46 training initiatives (T1 and T2), created a network of over 200 supporting institutions in Europe and Latin America developed original topic maps on scientific writing and open access publishing. NECOBELAC topic maps based on semantic web technologies represent an innovative training support tool. GL is included as a specific topic in the NECOBELAC maps, and most maps and associated schemes are equally applicable to both open and grey literature. Examples of the topic maps will be shown and as well as lessons learned from the NECOBELAC experience in Europe and Latin America.

 

 

Grey literature in Australian education Gerald White, Julian Thomas, Paul Weldon, Amanda Lawrence and Helen Galatis; Australian Council for Educational Research, Australia

 

The prevalence of informal publishing or grey literature in education would appear to have increased as digital technologies have become mainstream, educators have become more proficient and policies have moved increasingly towards supporting its use. In addition, the take up of social networking technologies and innovative methods of digital publishing have encouraged educators to produce, distribute and share content and commentary. Grey literature may make a substantial contribution to education even though issues such as credibility, access and a lack of standards can pose problems for producers and users. This paper will begin by providing a context for the discussion within the broader policy and education environment in Australia and be followed by an overview of grey literature as it appears in education in Australia introducing evidence of its usage, dissemination and application in Australian education. Evidence about the access, dissemination and use of grey literature will be drawn from an examination of the characteristics of a number of dominant social networking and digital publishing services that are used by educators in schools, training institutes and teacher education faculties. This evidence will be discussed in the context of influential national, state and institutional policies that address the use of digital technologies in education. As the take up of digital technologies in education increases, there is an expectation that the access to, dissemination of and use of digital publishing by educators and for educators will increase and have an impact on online professional learning and awareness of education research and practices.