Interlude: Daily Baselines, Communicating Science, and Publication Fees
Several years ago, I tried the Pomodoro technique. Although I found the technique great in theory, I didn't find that it worked well for me in practice. I often need 15 to 20 minutes to really get into the zone of editing.
Then this post suggested that you find a baseline time each day and use that time for the technique. For example, on a particular day, if you find that you lose focus after 10 minutes, you only study (or work) for 10 minutes at a time that day. Then the next day, you find a new baseline time for that day.
I am intrigued by this strategy. I like that it considers our daily fluctuations in focus and productivity.
What do you think? Do you use the Pomodoro method? If so, do you use the standard baseline of 25 minutes, or a different baseline? Hit reply and let me know.
Now onto this week's round-up...
💌 Round-up
💻 From My Desk
Practical Advice for Communicating Science in All Formats
Are you looking for a book that will give you a solid foundation of all types of science communication? In this review of The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science by Scott Montgomery, you'll learn about a must-have resource for anyone looking to communicate science clearly in any format and to any audience.
👓 Reading
Communicating science: The “significance” of statistics
"How can scientific writers clearly communicate the 'significance' of their statistics? First, describe scientific importance before statistical significance, to ensure that those other, often overlooked, aspects are considered. . .Second, always accompany “significance/significant” with a modifying term – 'statistical' or 'scientific.' Even better, replace 'significant' with other words or phrases that convey the specific aspect of “importance” being described."
NIH to crack down on excessive publisher fees for publicly funded research
"NIH will introduce a cap on allowable publication costs starting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, ensuring that publication fees remain reasonable across the research ecosystem. The policy aims to curb excessive APCs [article processing charges] and ensure the broad dissemination of research findings without unnecessary financial barriers."
BTAA, Springer Nature announce first unlimited open access publishing agreement
"This OPA [open publishing agreement] deal offers all authors across participating institutions unlimited open access publishing in Springer’s hybrid journals portfolio — with no fees, no caps, no limits and no hassle — while at the same time uniformly expanding access to those titles regardless of past local subscriptions."
💬 Quote
"As ideas are preserved and communicated by means of words, it necessarily follows that we cannot improve the language of any science, without at the same time improving the science itself; neither can we, on the other hand, improve a science without improving the language or nomenclature which belongs to it." – Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
