Why I Don’t Like the Journal Impact Factor (JIF)

Today, I’m writing to tell you why I’m not a fan of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). So first let me tell you what the JIF is and where it comes from. The Journal Impact factor is the number of citations generated by each citable item (such as an article) as calculated over a length of time. The standard time is three years and the number of citations in the current year divided by the number of citable items over…

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Red Flags: How to Identify Predatory Publishing

What is predatory publishing? The term “predatory publishing” refers to an exploitative academic publishing business model that involves charging publication fees to authors without checking articles for quality and legitimacy, and without providing editorial and publishing services that legitimate academic journals provide, whether open access or not. If you are unfamiliar with the term “open access,” you can read about it in another blog post, but a quick definition of one model of open access, is that instead of having…

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GIS Day

GIS Day is an annual event that celebrates the technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This annual international celebration of GIS technology was first celebrated in 1999. GIS is the scientific framework for gathering, analyzing, and visualizing geographic data to help humans make better decisions. GIS day helps others learn about geography and real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference to society. This day is a chance for folks to share their accomplishments and inspire others to discover…

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One Librarian’s (Very Personal) Opinion on GOP Lawmakers Wanting to Ban ‘Woke’ Philosophies

About a month ago, the Texas Tribune published an article on the Texas Legislature 2021: GOP lawmakers want to ban “woke philosophies” like critical race theory in Texas schools. The article briefly explains what critical race theory (CRT) is with “an academic discipline that views race as a social construct and examines how racism has shaped legal and social systems.” Sounds fairly reasonable, given the history of what are now known as the United States and recent events around policing of black people and other…

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Summer Reading

Looking for something to read this summer? Look no further than our Popular Reading collection! We have a ton of new books, and more arriving each month! Here are just a few to get you started on your browsing: Aceves, Fred; The new David Espinoza Obsessed with the idea that he is not muscular enough and tired of being bullied, David, age seventeen, begins using steroids, endangering his relationships with family and friends. Bolden, Tonya; Saving Savannah Savannah Riddle feels suffocated by her life…

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March is Women’s History Month: Read some Popular Books by Women!

Hi all! Punk A** Book Jockey Alexa here to remind you that March is Women’s History Month! My favorite way to celebrate things, reading! Here are a few titles by some awesome women that I recommend checking out. Also, check out this guide on Women’s History: https://guides.library.tamucc.edu/womenshistory Afia Atakora: Conjure Women. “Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives…

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25 New Popular Reading Titles!

Hey all, Punk A** Book Jockey Alexa here. You may have noticed if you’ve been able to visit the library despite pandemic times, that there haven’t been any new items in our Popular Reading section for a while. Due to shutdowns both here in the library and from our dear book provider, we were on a hiatus from ordering new titles for a while. It was a sad, long dry spell. The good news? We have a ton of new titles coming…

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Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books

Recently, Time Magazine published a listicle of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. Admittedly, I have not read all 100, I would estimate I’ve read maybe a quarter. I also am not sure that I agree with some that I’ve read that are listed, but I’m not a famous author so they didn’t ask me my opinion. (The panelists included Tomi Adeyemi, Diana Gabaldon, Neil Gaiman, Marlon James, and George R. R. Martin, to name a few). The oldest…

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Popular Reading Titles for Native American Heritage Month

November. No not the song Andy Dwyer wrote for April Ludgate. If you haven’t noticed from my signature, I’m kind of a huge fan of the tv show Parks and Recreation. Speaking of Parks and Rec, I’ve been thinking about this show a lot in recent times. You might have seen the meme where Leslie Knope meets then-Vice-President Biden. But now that the election is over, we can focus on the other things that November is known for: Veterans Day,…

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Peer Review Week 2020: Trust in Peer Review

This year, September 21-25, 2020 is Peer Review Week and this year, the theme is “Trust in Peer Review.” Before we talk about this year’s theme, let’s address the obvious: what do we mean when we say, “peer review?” Peer Review, as defined in Black’s Medical Dictionary, 43rd Edition: The procedures used by journal editors, researchers and scientists to review the work, decisions and writings of their professional colleagues – peer groups. Reviewers of scientific papers are commonly called referees, and…

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