While most of the academic and textbook community contributors have been quiet throughout this holiday week, we were able to find a few resources that may be of interest as you close out 2018 and prepare for the new year ahead.

At TAA, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season and hope that you will continue to engage with us in 2019. Happy writing!

Federal Shutdown Includes Agencies Supporting Research

Grant checks from NSF and other funders won’t go out. Meetings on grant applications won’t take place. Impact will grow with length of standoff.

Another Month for Elsevier Talks With U California

The University of California System is engaged in a high-stakes battle with Elsevier, the publishing giant whose contract with the UC system is slated to expire at the end of December. With UC threatening to walk away unless it wins substantial changes in the way Elsevier charges for journal access, many see the showdown as significant. On Friday, UC announced that it has agreed with Elsevier on a one-month extension to the contract that is expiring. A university statement said that the extension is part of a “good-faith effort to conclude negotiations by January 31.”

Collaborative Research: Enterprising Science Project

In this SAGE video, researchers and participants in the Enterprising Science Project discuss how the project has examined science education and engagement. The project is a collaboration between King’s College and the Science Museum in London, which has made it richer but more challenging.

Teaching Research Methods using Collaborative Learning

How do future researchers learn the skills they will need to succeed in academic research and related professional work, where collaborative and interdisciplinary teamwork are increasingly expected?  One way is by using collaborative learning methods that allow students to gain the experience of working together to conduct, analyze, and/or write about research while still in the classroom. Let’s look for insights from researchers whose work has been featured on MethodSpace.