Programme for the 2019 Conference

Including links to Slides and Videorecordings where available

The 2019 Programme covered key topics in the area of scholarly content supply, with a scope that ranged from the creation of content by researchers to the point when the readers access the contact, and beyond into archiving and preservation.  The Programme included Presentations, Workshops, a panel and a Debate, and the agenda is given below.

The printable 2019 Conference Programme (in PDF format) can be downloaded by clicking HERE. Slides (in PDF format) from the Conference presentations are available in the links below, and video-recordings (hosted on YouTube) will be available soon.

The Programme

Monday 25 February 2019

8.30    Registration & Networking                                                                       

9.30     Welcome and Introduction < slides >  < video >
Mark Carden
– Managing Consultant at Mosaic Search & Selection
– Member of the 2019 Researcher to Reader Advisory Board
The Conference Chairman welcomes the delegates and introduces the event.

9.40    Opening Keynote                                                                                             
Plan S and European Research < slides >  < video >
Dr Marc Schiltz
– President at Science Europe
– Secretary General & Executive Head at the Luxembourg National Research Fund

10.20  Workshops: Introduction & First Meeting < no slides >  < video >
Laura Cox
– Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Ringgold
– Member of the 2019 Researcher to Reader Advisory Board
The workshop manager will describe the workshop process, and then the workshop organisers will briefly introduce each of the workshop topics.

Workshop A – Open Access Books
How do we increase take up for Open Access books and chapters?  What are the challenges and opportunities?
Ros Pyne
– Director, Open Access Books at Springer Nature
Valerie McCutcheon
– Research Information Manager at the University of Glasgow
Mithu Lucraft
– Marketing Director, Outreach and Open Research at Springer Nature
OA books are starting to gain traction, with more than 12,000 titles now listed in the Directory of Open Access Books, increasing attention from European funders, and a number of new university presses focusing on OA monographs.  However, only a very small proportion of scholarly books are published open access, and significant challenges remain, from funding and models to rights, disciplinary, and cultural issues. Participants will be invited to consider some of these challenges and to think broadly to suggest solutions and opportunities for the future.

Workshop B – Automating Funder & Researcher Workflows
How can machine learning and artificial intelligence be used to optimise scholarly endeavours?
Dr Mario Malički
– Postdoc Researcher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Professor Gerben ter Riet
– Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam
Scholarly communication has gone through many changes. From unstructured abstract and manuscript format to formal structuring, increase in the number of authors, and development of different distribution methods and impact measurements. And lately, towards prospective study registration, publishing on pre-print servers, use of reporting guidelines, data sharing, and conducting of replication studies. Additionally, different strategies and practices are used to asses study proposals and allocate funding. The goal of this workshop is to explore benefits, barriers, and possible impact of the use of automated systems (both those existing and emerging) on research assessment and scholarly communication.

Workshop C – Levelling the Playing Field
How can the global scholarly communications community address international economic and infrastructure imbalances that prevent researchers from the Global South achieving equality?
Andrea Powell
– STM Outreach Director
– Publisher Coordinator at Research4Life
Rob Johnson
– Founder and Director at Research Consulting
– Member of the 2019 Researcher to Reader Advisory Board
Thanks to a number of collaborative efforts, there has been good progress in ensuring that researchers in the Global South have access to the same scholarly information as their colleagues in the North, but the amount of published research coming from less developed countries has barely increased over the past decade.   This workshop will explore the challenges that need to be addressed by all the players in the global scholarly communications ecosystem, so that all researchers worldwide can benefit from the same equality of opportunity at all times.

Workshop D – Supporting Early-Career Scholarship
How can librarians, technologists and publishers better support early career scholars as they write and publish their work?
Bec  Evans
– Founder at Prolifiko
Dee Watchorn
– Product Engagement Manager at De Gruyter
Dr Christine Tulley
– Professor of English at The University of Findlay
A new study reveals that early career researchers experience the highest levels of external pressure to write and publish, and lowest levels of satisfaction with their writing, than at any other point in their career. Why is this and what impact does it have on publishers, EdTech and libraries? Using principles of design thinking, this workshop will draw on unique data and insights to co-create solutions to benefit the individual – and the wider community. Participants will explore how the scholarly communications community can better support academic talent at an early stage.

Workshop E – Citation by Identifier
How can we best minimise laborious bibliographic tasks for authors by using persistent identifiers to automatically create citations in manuscripts?
Dr Daniel Himmelstein
– Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Pennsylvania
Rick Anderson
– Associate Dean for Collections & Scholarly Communication at the University of Utah Library
Member of the 2019 Researcher to Reader Advisory Board
Rather than require authors/journals to manually collect bibliographic details and format references, authors can cite persistent identifiers, while automated systems do the rest. While citation-by-identifier is now technically possible, it is not widespread in manuscript authoring and publishing workflows. What barriers stand in the way of wider adoption and what can we do about them? This workshop will explore how to leverage the rise of open bibliographic catalogues — such as CrossRef and PubMed — to revolutionize the ease and accuracy of scholarly citation.

11.20  Break

11.50  Presentations: Writing and Formats   < video >

How Faculty Write for Publication < slides >   
Examining the academic lifecycle of faculty research using interview and survey data
Dr Christine Tulley
– Professor of English at the University of Findlay
This presentation draws on interviews with faculty about how they move from an idea, to research, to writing, and to publication, as well as survey data with academics about their writing habits, to make the case that four key trends are emerging in how faculty approach the lifecycle of publication. These trends have direct implications for how academic institutions partner with commercial tools and non-academic organizations as well as how both traditional and non-traditional publication outlets for faculty research are affected. The presentation concludes with suggestions for realistic directions the Researcher to Reader community might take based on these findings.

Overcoming the Book–Journal Dichotomy < slides >
Navigating the complexities of publishing a book–journal hybrid, using Cambridge Elements as a case study
Nisha Doshi
– Senior Digital Development Publisher at Cambridge University Press
In the publishing industry we often talk about moving beyond the traditional boxes of ‘journals’, ‘articles’, ‘books’ and ‘chapters’, but how do we go about that in practice? Using Cambridge Elements as a case study, this presentation will discuss the complexities of setting up a genuine book–journal hybrid, including editorial and production workflows, sales models, product design and metadata, and will present practical insights into how to overcome these challenges.

1.00   Lunch

1.50    Panel Discussion: Artificial Intelligence

Machine Learning in the International Knowledge Chain < no slides >  < video >
AI disruption, adaptation and change in the current content flow between researchers, intermediaries and publishers
Jon White (chair)
– Global VP, Sales & Marketing at Pagemajik
Daniel Ebneter
– CEO at Karger Publishers
Isabel Thompson
– Senior Strategy Analyst at Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
Dr Phill Jones
– Member of the 2019 Researcher to Reader Advisory Board
Jennifer Schivas
– Head of Strategy and Industry Engagement at 67 Bricks
Automation and its impact on the job market, our livelihoods and our way of life has been a hot topic for several years now. Research from leading IT analysts Gartner and Forrester, consultancies and auditors such as McKinsey and PwC, as well as renowned global economic organisations such as the OECD and the World Economic Forum points towards great societal change as new efficiencies take over. What could be the end-to-end effects of AI on the knowledge supply chain? What might be the consequences on how researchers, universities, librarians, data managers, publishers and all other intermediaries act and interact?

3.00   Break

3.30   Presentations: Scholarly Communications in the Global South  < video >

Challenges for Emerging Economies < slides >
Professor Siva Umapathy
– Director of the Indian Institute of Science Education

Journal Publishing in Bangladesh < slides >
What can Bangladesh tell us about research communication?
Dr Haseeb Irfanullah
– Member, Editorial Board at Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy
Bangladesh has seen remarkable transformations in terms of making local research available globally and developing the researchers’ and journal editors’ understanding of international publishing. The experience of Bangladeshi journals shows that while many are doing well in certain vital publishing standards and practices, most are struggling. Despite being a part of the global scholarly ecosystem, Bangladesh’s journal publishing has developed ways to thrive in relative isolation. Since international mechanisms for journal quality have limited influence on such isolation, a national system is crucial to oversee and guide southern journals’ quality and standard, backed by strong political and policy support.

4.40   Workshops: Second Meeting
The workshop groups reconvene in their breakout rooms to continue their discussions.

5.30   Drinks Reception
An hour of relaxation and networking at the end of the first day of the Conference.

Tuesday 26 February 2019

8.30   Registration & Networking

9.30   Debate: Sci-Hub

Sci-Hub and Scholarly Communication < no slides >   < video >
The proposition to be debated: “Resolved: Sci-Hub is doing more good than harm to scholarly communication”
Rick Anderson (chair)
– Associate Dean for Collections & Scholarly Communication at the University of Utah Library
Member of the 2019 Researcher to Reader Advisory Board
Dr Daniel Himmelstein
– Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
Justin Spence
– Partner and Co-Founder at Publisher Solutions International
Sci-Hub represents the most comprehensive clearinghouse of illegally-obtained intellectual property in the scholarly world at the moment. It clearly represents an assault on the traditional journal publishing enterprise–but on balance, does it represent a net good or a net bad for the world of scholarship and science writ large? This program presents the proposition that Sci-Hub does, in fact, benefit scholarly communication on balance, and subjects that proposition to formal debate, the winner to be determined by the conference attendees.

10.30 Workshops: Third Meeting
The workshop groups reconvene to complete their discussions and problem-solving, and to prepare a presentation to provide feedback to all the delegates.

11.20  Break

11.50  Presentations: Open Access Books & Journals   < video >

Embedding Good RDM Practice in RDM Workflows < slides >
Effective research data management is one of the biggest challenges facing researchers in sharing their research data.
Rebecca Grant
– Research Data Manager at Springer Nature
In 2018, a white paper identified the key challenges faced by researchers in sharing their data: these included organising their data in a useful way, understanding copyright and licensing and finding appropriate repositories. This session will discuss these challenges and explore practical approaches to support and encourage good data management practice as part of journal publishing workflows. We will cover a number of projects and initiatives including the standardisation of journal data policies and the provision of an online support Helpdesk, as well as the impacts of a third-party curation service and an analysis of article data availability statements.

Towards a Librarian-led RDM Academy < slides >
Understanding the role librarians can play in training researchers about research data management.
Jean P Shipman
– Vice President, Global Library Relations at Elsevier
Several librarians recently partnered with Elsevier to study the need for a Research Data Management Librarian Academy to offer online training. The team includes Harvard Medical School, Tufts Health Sciences, MCPHS University, Boston University School of Medicine and Simmons University. This presentation reports on a needs assessment and inventory, as well as the RDM Librarian Academy training program under development.

1.00   Lunch

1.50    Presentation

Estimating Confidence < slides not available > < video >
Using scientific and scholarly literature to estimate robust and replicable findings
Professor James Evans
– Professor, Department of Sociology at University of Chicago
Growing concern that published results may lack replicability is rarely empirically examined. This presentation discusses a novel, high-throughput replication strategy that uses computational reading and expert annotation to align tens of thousands of findings to data from high-throughput experiments. The findings reveal that while single papers replicate only modestly more frequently than what might be expected at random, those widely agreed upon across multiple papers replicate much more frequently, manifesting collective correction in science. This highlights the importance of policies that foster decentralized collaboration to promote robust scientific advance.

2.20   Workshop Feedback < slides >   < video >

3.00   Break

3.30   Conference Summary < slides >   < video >
Mark Carden
– Managing Consultant, Mosaic Search & Selection
Amongst the challenges facing a conference delegate is their capacity to both recall and make sense of the variety of presentations and discussions that have taken place over the duration of the event. This regular (and surprisingly popular) short recap attempts to condense the entire content of this year’s R2R Conference into an informal but coherent summary.

3.45   Closing Keynote <no slides >  < video >
The UK Research Environment
The Rt Hon the Lord Willetts, FRS
– Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation
– Former UK Minister for Universities and Science

4.30   End of Conference

Sponsors for the 2019 Conference

Gold Sponsor

With technology and expertise always advancing in perfect poise, HighWire is the principal digital partner for the global publishing community. Whether you choose from our suite of modular applications or our entire intelligent platform, we help all publishers to create the best digital experiences and reach the most people.

Silver Sponsors

Atypon develops publishing technologies for getting mission-critical content into the hands of the practitioners and researchers who need it most. Literatum, Atypon’s online publishing and website development platform, gives content providers easy-to-use and automated tools to manage, market, and monetize every type of content that they distribute.

Ingenta is one of the leading providers of content solutions to publishers. Drawing on over 40 years of industry experience, Ingenta helps to simplify, manage, promote and deliver content.

 

Bronze Sponsors

RedLink is an independent data company offering powerful, intuitive dashboards for libraries and publishers, unique sales prospecting engines for publishers, and editorial engagement tools for editors, authors, and readers.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the world’s leading chemistry community, advancing excellence in the chemical sciences. With over 54,000 members and an international publishing and knowledge business, it is the UK’s professional body for chemical scientists, supporting and representing its members and bringing together chemical scientists from all over the world.

Research Information is a bimonthly full-colour magazine, sent six times a year at no cost to publishing and information professionals.

MDPI is an open access publisher that has supported open science through journals, conferences and other initiatives for more than two decades. Building links with communities and institutions is integral to their work.

Karger Publishers is the largest medical and scientific publishing company in Switzerland. Karger has 250 employees in 15 countries, and is dedicated to serving the information needs of the scientific community with publications of high-quality content, covering all fields of medical science. The publishing program comprises 50 new books per year and over 100 peer-reviewed journals, with a growing number of open-access publications..

Mosaic Search & Selection is an executive search firm, specialising in publishing and media in the UK and internationally.

 

Other Sponsors:

Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) is a global leader in content management, discovery and delivery solutions. Through its relationships with those who use and create content, CCC, and its subsidiaries RightsDirect and Ixxus, drive market-based solutions that fuel research, power publishing and respect copyright.

Ringgold provides quality, curated organizational IDs with rich metadata to power interoperability across scholarly communications.

Wiley, a global research and learning company, partners with learned societies and supports researchers to communicate discoveries that make a difference. Wiley’s digital content, books and journals build on a 200-year heritage of quality publishing.

 

Registration for the 2019 Conference

Registration for the 2019 Conference opened in mid October 2017, with a heavily discounted Super Early-Bird rate until the end of that month.  The Early-bird rate ran throughout November. 

Special rates were available for Returning Delegates who had previously attended an R2R Conference. Discounted prices were also be offered to Librarians and Academics. Conference Sponsors also benefited from free or discounted places, depending on the sponsorship package selected.

The full tariff for the 2019 Conference is shown below.

Accommodation was not included in the Conference registration fee, and needed to be booked independently by delegates for themselves. There was no recommended Conference Hotel.

The Registration Terms & Conditions for the 2019 Researcher to Reader Conference are shown below.

1. Registration, Payment and Rates

Payment by credit card is normally required immediately upon registration. Delegates unable to pay by credit card may request an invoice; such invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date. Delegates will not be admitted to the event unless the appropriate registration fee has been paid. The registration fee includes attendance at the event on the days purchased, the event documentation, and the refreshments provided. Travel and accommodation is not included in the registration fee. In order to qualify for any early bird rates, the registration must be completed by the deadline date as set out on the registration site, and payment must be received within 14 days of this date. To qualify for a discounted delegate rate, a delegate must be able to show that he or she is qualified for the selected discount category, otherwise the full delegate fee will be payable.

2. Cancellations, Refunds and Substitutions

A full refund is available for any cancellation made before February. Any cancellations received during February will not be eligible for a refund. An alternate person from the same organisation may be substituted for the delegate originally registered, if the organiser is notified by 15 February.

3. Alteration, Postponement, Relocation or Cancellation

The organiser reserves the right to alter the content and timings of the advertised programme at any time and for any reason. The organiser reserves the right to change the location of the event and will endeavour to advise the delegates as soon as this change is known. Any reasonable change of location will not constitute a reason to refund the registration fee. The organiser reserves the right to postpone the planned date of the event to any date within one month of the planned date of the event. Any reasonable change of date will not constitute a reason to refund the registration fee. If the event is cancelled for any reason, the organiser will seek to refund a portion of the registration fee paid, less reasonable costs. Any refund is not guaranteed, and the refund value will be determined at the organiser’s discretion, depending on the circumstances of the cancelled event and the ongoing financial position of the company. The organiser is not liable to pay any costs incurred by delegates or others resulting from any alteration, postponement, relocation or cancellation.

4. Speakers and Content

Any views, advice, information, data or items provided by speakers, delegates or sponsors are their own opinions or items and are not necessarily supported, approved or authorised by the organiser. The organiser cannot accept any liability for views, advice, information, data or items provided by speakers, delegates or sponsors at the event, or in any material provided to the delegates in any way. The event programme, presentations, handouts, photographs, audio & video recordings and other materials that are created or provided in association with the event are the copyright of the organiser except where otherwise stated. The organiser reserves all rights to these materials, and these materials should not be reproduced without the organiser’s permission.

5. Photography, Audio & Video Recording

Audio, video and photographic recording may take place throughout the event, and all participants, by their attendance, authorise the organiser to use these materials in any reasonable manner, including providing a record of the event and promoting other events, products or services. The organiser will attempt to remove a delegate from these recordings on request, if notified in advance of the event date.

6. Privacy and Data Protection

By submitting registration details, delegates acknowledge that they have read and consent ted to the privacy notice available on the event website, and also agree to allow the organiser to use this information to contact them regarding the current event and any other events, products or services offered by the organiser, or by the organiser’s sponsors, affiliates and partners. Delegates may opt out of these communications by contacting the organiser or by selecting the unsubscribe option in email communications. The name, role and affiliation of registered delegates will be placed on the attendee list which may be passed to all delegates, sponsors and potential sponsors. This attendee list may also be used by the organiser in promoting or seeking sponsorship for future events. Delegates who wish to be removed from the delegate list should contact the organisers at least one month in advance of the event date. The organiser is committed to ensuring that sensitive information, such as credit card details, is handled in a safe and secure manner. The organiser employs reputable and reliable service providers to ensure such information is protected. All information held is kept secure with access limited to personnel charged with the processing of such data. All personal data is gathered and processed in accordance with the provisions and intent of Data Protection Act. The payment service used by the organiser only collects information to confirm a financial transaction and does not store financial details. The organiser will retain details of the individuals attending an event, to maintain records of the event, and to inform individuals about the event or other events, products or services. This does not include any form of financial information, other than the amount of the registration fee paid.

7. Risk, Insurance and Liability

The organiser has taken reasonable steps to evaluate and mitigate risks associated with delegates’ participation in this event, however the organiser cannot be responsible for unforeseen or accidental hazards, including adverse reactions to allergens. It is the responsibility of the delegate to mitigate any personal risks associated with their own attendance at the event, and to arrange appropriate insurance cover in connection with their attendance at the event. The organiser’s liability for loss shall be limited to a claim for damages; the maximum aggregate liability will be the registration fee paid by the delegate for the event. The organiser will not be liable for indirect, special or consequential loss (including but not limited to travel or accommodation costs).

8. Law & Venue

The participants accept, by their registration, that the terms and conditions contained within this document are governed by English Law and that any litigation will take place in the Courts of England.

 

Call for Proposals for the 2019 Conference

The Call for Papers for the 2019 Conference opened in June 2018 and closed on 31 August 2018.  The announcement and additional information is given below. 

2019 Call

Proposals can be submitted using a Excel form that can be downloaded here:

Click Here to Download Proposal Submission Form

The Conference organisers have used their best efforts to ensure that this downloadable form does not contain any viruses, trojans or other malicious code, but recommend that anyone downloading this file uses appropriate methods to protect their own systems.

Announcement

The annual international scholarly communications conference, Researcher to Reader, will next take place in London on 25-26 February 2019.  The Advisory Board is inviting proposals for presentations, workshops, panels, debates and lightning talks. We are also seeking experienced workshop facilitators.

We are particularly seeking proposals from librarians, researchers, editors & funders, from people based outside the UK, and from under-represented demographics.

Proposers are invited to provide an abstract (50-100 words) and a fuller description (200-500 words) by 31 August 2018.

To make a proposal for participation in the Researcher to Reader 2018, please first explore this website for more information about the Conference, then DOWNLOADthe proposal submission form.

More information is given in the Call for Participation and Guidance for Proposers sections below.

 

Call for Participation

Introduction

The Researcher to Reader Conference is a key forum for discussion of the international scholarly content supply chain – exploring how academic knowledge is conveyed from the Researcher to the Reader.

The Conference takes place annually in London each February and is attended by around 150-200 senior delegates from all parts of the scholarly communications lifecycle, including funders, researchers, research managers, publishers, distributors, technologists and librarians.

 

Participants who are selected will generally receive a complimentary delegate place at the full Conference. Any other costs for attendance will be the responsibility of the participant, although we are occasionally able to offer some support toward travel or accommodation.

A description of the Conference themes and formats is given below, with further  information on these themes, the formats and the submission rules being given in the next section, Guidance for Proposers.

Conference Themes

The Researcher to Reader Conference covers the full life-cycle of scholarly communications, and particularly values topics that are of interest across the diverse range of people and organisations that participate in the event, rather than subjects that focus on a single narrow area. Our delegates are primarily interested in the interactions between the various parts of the scholarly communications supply chain, and how people and organisations can work together more effectively. The Conference also values topics that are practical, informative or supported by evidence – we are interested in understanding and facilitating what could be done, rather than merely discussing what should be done.

Although we are very open to what subjects might be covered within this framework, some topics that could be particularly interesting in the current climate include:

• International research and publishing, particularly in developing countries
• Commercial negotiations and the Big Deal
• Integrity and reproducibility, and the relevance of Open Science
• Piracy and predation in publishing
• Non-traditional research outputs and supplemental materials
• Marketing and selling scholarly content (paid or free)
• Commercial challenges and opportunities for academic institutions
• How artificial intelligence could change research and the scholarly discourse

Participation Formats

We welcome proposals for workshops, presentations, panels, debates and lighting talks.

Workshops

The workshops at the R2R Conference are very interactive, with high levels of delegate participation and engagement. Workshops discuss and attempt to reach resolution on a clearly-defined question or problem. The most effective workshops are created through a partnership between a subject expert and a facilitator, and we have particular focus on the quality of workshop facilitation.

Proposers are invited to offer a complete package of topic, expert & facilitator, or to simply suggest a topic, or a suitable workshop expert, or a facilitator.

Presentations

Speaker presentations are normally given in plenary sessions comprising 2-3 speakers, with each presentation lasting approximately 20-30 minutes.

Presentations should be relevant to the themes of the Conference, and can be given  by any member of the research, publishing and library community. Presenters who are employed by commercial organisations are encouraged to participate, but their presentations must be of general interest to the community and faithful to the event’s objectives, not merely corporate messages.

Panels

Panel discussions are a chance for both experts and general delegates to discuss a key topic of interest to the community. Panels work best where an issue needs discussion amongst knowledgeable pundits, and where the chair is well-prepared and an excellent facilitator.  Proposers are invited to offer a complete package of topic, chair & panellists, or to simply suggest a topic, or a suitable chair, or panellists.

Debates

We are considering adding a formal debate to our programme, as this can be a very effective way of exploring a challenging or divisive topic. We would be open to proposals for a proposition to be debated, and suggestions for a chairperson and people to speak on the motion.

Lightning Talks

We are considering including some very brief presentations (lightning talks) in the 2019 programme, each taking about five minutes. This does not give time for a complete presentation, but is an opportunity to raise a topic of interest and point the delegates toward further information.  Lightning talks might include announcements of new projects or commercial offerings. A presenter of a lightning talk will not automatically receive a complimentary delegate place at the full Conference.

Proposals

To make a proposal for participation in the Conference, please first explore this website for more information about the Conference.  Then access the submission portal to provide your proposal information.

We are particularly seeking proposals from librarians, researchers, editors & funders, from people based outside the UK, and from under-represented demographics.

Please complete your submission by 31 August 2018 by downloading the submission form using the link at the top of this page.

 

Guidance for Proposers

Introduction

Below we give additional guidance on the success factors for effective participation in the programme for the Researcher to Reader Conference.

Participation Formats

The R2R Conference Programme is typically composed of workshops, presentations and panels. We are also considering including lighting talks and a debate in the 2019 programme. We welcome proposals for each of these formats, and we are particularly interested in proposals for workshop topics and in finding people with the skills to facilitate workshops.

Workshops

The workshops have been central to the Conference experience for several years, being both a productive activity and a great opportunity to meet new people. The workshops are very interactive, with high levels of delegate participation and engagement. They aim to create results that can be presented back to the whole Conference, and be of lasting value to the scholarly communication community.

Delegates choose to attend just one out of about five possible workshops, and each workshop group will (re)convene for a total duration of about 2½ hours, split across three sequential sessions during the two days of Conference.

A workshop topic may build on the content of a Conference presentation, or cover other issues of relevance to the creation, supply and consumption of academic research. A workshop could be used to gather scoping or qualitative responses as part of an academic research project, or a standards consultation.

Workshops tend to work well when they attempt to discuss and reach resolution on a clearly-defined question or problem. The workshops are not breakout presentations, but highly interactive discussions. The most effective workshops are created through a partnership between a subject expert and a facilitator, and in 2019 we will have particular focus on the quality of workshop facilitation.

Typically the subject expert will frame the question to be worked on, and provide expert knowledge during the workshop. The facilitator will summarise the topic, lead discussions, encourage broad participation and ensure that the outcomes are documented and presented back to the Conference as a whole (by the facilitator or another participant).

Proposers are invited to offer a complete package of topic, expert & facilitator, or to simply suggest a topic, or a suitable workshop expert, or a facilitator.

Presentations

Speaker presentations are normally given in plenary sessions comprising 2-3 speakers, with each presentation lasting approximately 20-30 minutes.  Each session is normally concluded with a brief but lively Q&A.

Presentations should be relevant to the themes of the Conference, and can be given  by any member of the research, publishing and library community. Presenters who are employed by intermediaries, publishers or other commercial organisations are encouraged to participate, but their presentations must be of general interest to the community and faithful to the event’s objectives, not corporate messages.

We find that the presentations most appreciated by our delegates are not: product pitches (commercial or otherwise), co-presented by more than one speaker, delivered in an ‘evangelical’ tone, read from a script, or based around slides that appear to be merely the speaker’s notes in bullet-point form.

Panels

Panel discussions are a chance for both experts and general delegates to discuss a key topic of interest to the community. Panels work best where an issue needs discussion amongst knowledgeable pundits, and where the chair is well-prepared and an excellent facilitator.  We typically allow about 1½ hours for a panel, including some scene-setting by the chair and/or panel members, the panel discussion itself, and contributions from the delegates.

Proposers are invited to offer a complete package of topic, chair & panellists, or to simply suggest a topic, or a suitable chair, or panellists.

Lightning Talks

A lightning talk is a very brief presentation lasting, at R2R, up to four minutes. This does not give time for a complete presentation, but is an opportunity to raise a topic of interest and point the delegates toward further information.  We would be willing to consider as a lightning talk a ‘pitch’ for something like a new standard, collaboration or service.

Proposals

To make a proposal for participation in the Researcher to Reader 2019, please first explore this website for more information about the Conference.  Then download the submission form from the link at the top of this page and email it to us.

If you have any questions or other communications, please contact the Conference Director, Mark Carden, at info@R2RConf.com

Additional Information

Participants who are selected will generally receive a complimentary delegate place at the Conference, although we can only offer a maximum of two complimentary places per workshop, and a presenter of a lightning talk will not automatically qualify for a complimentary place. Any other costs for attendance will be the responsibility of the participant, although we are occasionally able to offer some support toward travel or accommodation.

The Advisory Board has complete discretion regarding which proposals are accepted for the Conference programme and the Board’s decision is final. The Conference accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred in the preparation of proposals, or for any consequences of acceptance or rejection.

Proposers may be invited to modify their proposals to meet the needs of the Conference programme. Proposers may withdraw their proposals up to the point of acceptance, or when invited to make modifications.

Proposers agree that, if accepted, their proposal may form part of the Conference programme and that any presentation and biographical content may be included in Conference materials, including potential distribution of slides, scripts, transcripts or abstracts, and any video, audio or photographic recording.

 

2019 Conference Advisory Board

• Mark Allin – Principal at ContentAll and former CEO at Wiley
• Rick Anderson – Associate Dean at the University of Utah
• Mark Carden – Managing Consultant at Mosaic Search & Selection
• Laura Cox – Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Ringgold
• Bernie Folan – Owner at Bernie Folan Research & Consulting
• Rob Johnson – Director at Research Consulting
• Phill Jones – independent consultant
• Danny Kingsley – Deputy Director at Cambridge University Libraries
• Arend Küster – Director Open Research, Greater China at Springer Nature
• Fiona Murphy – Owner at Murphy Mitchell Consulting
• Anthony Watkinson – Principal Consultant at CIBER Research

Board Members Emeritus

• Chris Banks – Director of Library Services at Imperial College London
• Sam Bruinsma – Vice-President Business Development at Brill
• Luke Davies – Director, EU Publisher Relations at EBSCO
• Nawin Gupta – Principal at Informed Publishing Solutions
• Peter Lawson – Publishing Consultant & former Director at Karger
• Sid McNeal  – Executive Vice President at EBSCO