Category: Insight

Fonts are “the clothes that words wear,” said early 20th-century editor Beatrice Warde. And just like our clothing, the font you choose says much about your personality. Many writers use the default options. For a long time this was Times New Roman, later switching to Calibri and Cambria. Some authors prefer to write in Courier New for its ‘typewritery’ feel. But what about typesetters and E-Book creators? When designing printed material, there are a myriad of typefaces out there to

There’s nothing I like more than some downtime with a good book. Whether I’m curled up on the couch, reclining in the sun, or commuting on the train, a book is a constant companion and transporter to another world. But how we consume books has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. In this article, we look at the different ways consumers read and what that might mean for publishers. Paperback and hardback books dominate, but revenue declines In 2016,

A PhD is the ultimate degree. Getting a doctorate is a matter of honour, as it reflects your knowledge, perseverance and hard work. While there is glory to a PhD, the road to it takes work. The long years of research and writing take a lot of determination to overcome all the challenges. At Siliconchips Services, we’ve copyedited, proofread and typeset over a thousand theses on every topic imaginable. Here are five tips to keep in mind when writing your

Automated workflows have become increasingly popular in the publishing industry, allowing for greater efficiency and accuracy in managing and producing content. But what are automated workflows exactly? In this guide, we share how they work, their benefits, and what considerations publishers should keep in mind when implementing them. Why do we need Automated Workflows? As publishing has become more digital and distributed, the need for automated workflows has become increasingly apparent. In the past, publishing processes were often manual and

Open Access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which scholarly research outputs are freely distributed online and made available for anyone to access, read, download, and reuse without financial, legal, or technical barriers. This applies to all fields of study, particularly Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) publishing. Life Before Open Access Before the advent of OA, accessing research was primarily done through subscription-based models or individual access fees. Libraries and research institutions would pay

Academic publishing is a vital aspect of the scholarly world, allowing new knowledge and research to be distributed to a broader audience. However, publishing academic journals can be time-consuming and complex, involving numerous tasks such as peer-review, editing, formatting, and distribution. Fortunately, publishers can leverage automation tools to streamline these tasks, improve efficiency, and enhance the overall quality of their academic journals. In this article, we look at how publishers can use automation for academic journals and the benefits of

In my last blog, I wrote about AI’s ever-emerging presence in the publishing industry. Fast forward six weeks and ChatGPT is taking over the headlines (and the world, it seems). Obviously, my interest lies in the impact it will have on publishers and authors, especially in Siliconchip’s area of expertise – academic journals. Having used the tool and read a lot about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that, for now, it has some uses but should be used with

Photo by Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash AI was the hot topic of the year Across all the book fairs and conferences I’ve attended this year, there have been numerous talks and sessions on AI. It’s been encouraging to see academic publishing embrace the adoption of AI tools. They are especially useful in laborious tasks such as plagiarism and copyright checks. There are also tools around peer reviews and research for authors, the first of which I hope will see

Like many businesses during the height of the pandemic, Siliconchips Services had to close one of our physical offices. Once the worst had passed, two years later, we were able to get excited about reopening. It was strategically best for us to find new premises in a new area—settling on Chennai, in the South of India. I am based in London, and with the reduction in travel, it made sense for my team on the ground in Chennai to scout