SpotOn, the popular conference series looking at science policy, outreach and tools is back. SpotOn 2016 will focus on what peer review might look like in 2030 and will be led by BioMed Central, Digital Science and Wellcome.
The conference, which will be hosted at the Wellcome Collection in London on Saturday 5th November, will be a dynamic, highly interactive meeting of researchers, science communicators, technologists, and those interested in science policy. The conference will explore all angles of peer review, with the programme designed with the help of the research community.
Rachel Burley, Publishing Director at BioMed Central said: “Researchers consistently say that peer review is one of the biggest problems facing science. We want to work with the research community at SpotOn to find solutions. Our aim is to collaborate on practical, feasible options to improve peer review, but also to brainstorm radical ideas which might lead to significant advances in research communications.’
Laura Wheeler, Community Manager at Digital Science said: “SpotOn offers an excellent forum for collaboration and discussion with like-minded individuals across science, communications, technology and policy. This year there will be plenty of opportunities to learn about new tools and technologies, pick up practical skills and network with a range of experts."
Discussions may include:
• Can technology make peer review faster, easier, more transparent? Or will the rush to share data overshadow quality and confidence in scientific literature?
• How might peer review be extended to research data, software and blog posts?
• Will pre-print servers, post-publication article metrics, and research sharing platforms force a complete overhaul of the peer review process?
• Will peer review continue to be the best defence against bad science, or will advances in AI mean that the not so distant future is entirely peer-less?
Save the date – and for more information or to get involved go to http://events.biomedcentral.com/spoton/ or follow @SpotOnLondon #SpotOn16.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information contact:
Amy Bourke-Waite
Head of Communications
BioMed Central
M: +44 (0) 7703717212
amy.bourke-waite@biomedcentral.com
About BioMed Central
BioMed Central is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Nature.