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Golden Fig Books: An Independent Bookstore Feature to Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day
An Independent Bookstore is defined as a bookstore that is independently owned and not a part of a larger corporation. In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, which is recognized on the last Saturday in April, I have reached out to a local independent bookstore...
The Art of the Book
Depending on the corners of the internet you inhabit, the algorithm might show you, like it does for me, crafty videos of people using paper, twine, glue, cardstock, leather, and all manner of other things to make and bind their own books and journals. Book binding,...
Human Nature: What Human Help Can Do That AI Cannot
In today’s world, artificial intelligence (AI) is, slowly but surely, becoming just as much of a staple to the publishing industry as the internet. Its advantages include allowing the writing and editing processes to become faster, more streamlined, and, in some...
Can Lay Summaries Help Expand the Audience for Scholarly Journals?
Scholarly publishing has undergone many evolutions, but heavy technical writing and detail have always been some of the major defining differences between scholarly journals and trade publications. While both trade and scholarly publications tend to be...
Quality, Not Quantity
Most young authors—including, but not limited to, authors of scientific and scholarly articles—have one main goal in mind: Get published as much as possible. But this way of thinking is just not always helpful for someone who is looking to establish a favorable...
Technica Attends the 18th Annual Bookmarks Festival
Early on September 23, Andy Hill, Claire Lee, and I headed to Winston-Salem for the 18th annual Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors on behalf of Technica. Bookmarks, a literary arts nonprofit, was established in 2004 in tandem with the annual Bookmarks Festival of...
Right to Read: Intellectual Freedom Panel Discussion
On Sunday, October 1, 2023, I attended the Chapel Hill Public Library’s “Right to Read: Intellectual Freedom Panel Discussion” in honor of Banned Book Week. Aside from the discussion, I also enjoyed the free snacks, a free copy of Raina Telgemeier’s Drama courtesy of...
The 2023 Peer Review Week is Almost Here!
Peer review has always been an important, behind-the scenes piece of the publication puzzle. An annual week to celebrate and explore its complexities is well deserved! A couple of decades ago, academic and scientific peer review looked much different from today....
Google’s New AI Search Changes the Game for Publishing
We may still be a few decades away from HAL 9000 and the Terminator wreaking havoc on the humanrace (fingers crossed!), but AI continues to infiltrate and change the publishing industry. We’ve already writtenabout how AI in the form of ChatGPT is changing all the...
What Exactly is Ghostwriting?
If you’re anything like me when you hear the word ghostwriter, one of two things pops up. First, there’sthe 1990s PBS television series where a literal ghost who writes helps a group of teenagers solve mysteries (sadly,we won’t be doing a deep dive into that forgotten...
5 Tips to Become A Better Writer
Are you a novice writer just starting out in the realm of digital content, or are you a seasoned expert seeking tips on writing better? As a word nerd who is currently working on her own book, here are a few of my favorite writing tips you can use to hone your...
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science
[Left to right: Paula Hammond, Joycelyn Elders, Alice Ball; image created by Hayley Nestor] February 11th marks the fourth International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day that highlights the gender disparity in scientific fields, encourages women and girls to participate in the sciences, and celebrates women’s existing scientific contributions....
Keeping Things Agreeable: Subject-Verb Agreement
If you’ve ever dabbled in learning a new language, one of the trickiest aspects to master is subject-verb agreement. Even the most accomplished editing professionals still get tripped up while writing in their own native tongue let alone a second language. …Why? Because everything is so situation-specific. Take, for instance, a situation where the subject...
Understanding and Combatting Implicit Bias in Peer Review
The theme of Peer Review Week 2018 is Diversity and Inclusion. While not an easy topic, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the issue of bias in peer review and strategies being taken to address the problem. Implicit bias in peer review Analysis of numerous datasets conclude that an author’s gender, geographical location, language, and the prestige of...
Get to Know the Technica Staff: David Andrews
Each month, we will interview one employee to get their opinions on the publishing industry, hear what it’s like to work at Technica, and learn a little bit about them. This month we are interviewing David Andrews, who started at Technica this spring and is excited to further develop skills and experience in publishing. Did you always want to work...
Technica Goes a Courting with SSP’s Speed Networking
May’s SSP regional meeting in Durham was a bit of a change of pace compared to the usual monthly meetup. This month, SSP members came together to engage in the publishing industry’s equivalent of speed dating. The meeting began with representatives from the ten SSP member companies giving a brief introduction to their company philosophy and areas of...
Notes from CSE 2018: Preprints, Surveys, ORCID, CRediT, and CHORUS
Earlier this month, Technica attended the CSE conference in beautiful New Orleans. The theme of the meeting was “Publishing in the Changing Climate of the Research Ecosystem,” very timely given how many areas of publishing are evolving in new and exciting ways. As is always the case at CSE, the conference was a great opportunity to network with...
Fake Acceptance Letters – The Latest Scholarly Publishing Scam
The age of Open Access in scholarly publishing has led to a rise in predatory conferences and fake journals taking advantage of authors seeking outlets for publishing. Many journal societies and institutions have tried to fight back against these predatory publishers. A new initiative Think. Check. Attend. helps researchers to identify potential predatory...
Get to Know the Technica Staff: Amy Allen
Each month, we will interview one employee to get their opinions on the publishing industry, hear what it’s like to work at Technica, and learn a little bit about them. This month we are interviewing Amy Allen, an editorial assistant originally from Greensboro, North Carolina. How did you get started in the publishing industry? Did you always want...
Introducing ACS Reviewer Lab
On February 16, 2018, the local North Carolina chapter of ISMTE met at Research Square in Durham. The main goal of the meeting was an introduction to the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) new Reviewer Lab initiative. Technica Editorial was on hand for the presentation. Jody Plank, Product Manager at ACS, was in town to introduce ACS’s new Reviewer Lab. ...
Get to Know the Technica Staff: Claire Ebbitt
Each month, we will interview one employee to get their opinions on the publishing industry, hear what it’s like to work at Technica, and learn a little bit about them. This month we are interviewing Claire Ebbitt, an editorial assistant who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2017. She studied English and Media & Journalism, both of which have aided...