Academia Versus Academia.edu: Should Tech Business Needs Trump Scholarly Culture?

Though often used in a pejorative manner, the concept of the “ivory tower” is based on a separation from the concerns of the everyday–the idea of academia serving a higher purpose than the rat race of business. Last week Rick Anderson wrote about the higher standards of behavior required from scholarly publishers, and watchdogs continually call out any deviation from the strict rigor that characterizes academic research itself. As technology startups continue to hold more sway over scholarly communication, should we similarly hold those companies and their business practices to the same high standards? Academia.edu’s recent marketing campaign offers an interesting case study.
Source: The Scholarly Kitchen
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