Mysore/Mysuru: The University of Mysore (UoM) hosted an insightful Conference on ‘Academic Publishing, Libraries and Artificial Intelligence,’ organised by the Mysore University Information and Library Science Alumni Network (MILAN) in collaboration with the Department of Studies in Library and Information Science (DLIS), at Vijnana Bhavan in Manasagangothri, on June 21 and 22.

The event’s keynote speaker was Padma Bhushan Prof. P. Balaram, former Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, who provided a thought-provoking analysis of the current state of academic publishing and the evolving role of libraries in the digital era.

Prof. Balaram began by reflecting on the historical reverence of libraries as sacred spaces of knowledge. He contrasted this with the current challenges faced by libraries due to the digital transformation.

He expressed concern over the rise of predatory academic publishing, where dubious practices such as fake papers and unethical authorship have become prevalent. The trend of open access journals demanding high fees from authors was highlighted as a significant issue, with Prof. Balaram referencing the Scholarly Kitchen blog to illustrate the billions earned by some publishers from this lucrative business.

The keynote address delved into the impact of the Web of Science’s impact factor, which has shifted the focus from the quality of research content to the prestige of journals. This metric-driven approach, he argued, undermines genuine scholarly efforts and fosters a culture of vanity and greed in academia.

Prof. Balaram reminisced about the early days of scientometrics and citation indexing, crediting pioneers like Eugene Garfield for their contributions in the 1920s to assess the impact of chemistry journals, which laid the foundation for modern citation analysis.

Prof. Balaram also discussed the surge in scientific research during the pandemic years of 2020 to 2023. He noted the immense volume of 10 million papers indexed in the Science Citation Index, with a significant portion focused on coronavirus research.

The conference shed light on the critical role of scientometrics and artificial intelligence in managing and navigating this vast influx of information. With 117,000 papers dedicated to coronavirus research, the global scientific community demonstrated its commitment to understanding and combating the virus.

The keynote address touched upon other research areas that gained prominence, such as supercapacitors, deep learning, and photocatalysis. The latter, driven by efforts to split water to obtain hydrogen, aligns with governmental green hydrogen initiatives. The impact of long COVID literature on journal impact factors was also discussed, with notable increases for journals like Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association during the pandemic, which are expected to normalise post-pandemic.

Addressing the broader challenges of academic publishing, Prof. Balaram emphasised the urgent need to tackle the issues of greed and the decline of scholarly integrity in a metrics-driven ecosystem. He advocated for the principle of free access to scientific journals while acknowledging the financial constraints that publishers face. Criticism was directed towards the exorbitant profits of academic publishers, with calls for a reevaluation of copyright laws to ensure fair access to research.

The ongoing legal battle between publishers and platforms like Sci-Hub was highlighted as a critical issue.

Prof. Balaram underscored the necessity for a public movement to reform outdated copyright laws to balance the interests of both publishers and the public. He concluded with a reflection on the history of artificial intelligence in science, cautioning against over-reliance on technologies like chat GPT and advocating for a balanced approach to integrating technological advancements in research.

UoM Vice-Chancellor Prof. N.K. Lokanath highlighted the need to balance quantity with quality in India’s growth, especially with the rise of AI technology. The COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the importance of adapting to new technologies in education and business. They also stressed maintaining high standards in publications and the crucial role of human decision-making alongside AI.

The conference successfully brought to light the pressing issues in academic publishing and the evolving role of libraries, urging the academic community to strive for integrity, fairness, and balanced technological adoption in their pursuit of knowledge.

Prof. Srinath Srinivasa, Dean (R&D), IIIT, Bengaluru; Dr. Shalini R. Urs, former Professor, DLIS; Dr. B.M. Meera, former Librarian, Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru; Prof. M. Chandrashekara, Chairman, DLIS; Dr. H. Rajendra Babu, Organising Secretary, MILAN & Conference; Prof. N.S. Harinarayana and Prof. H. Adithya Kumari, DLIS, were present.

The two-day conference concluded on Saturday with the valedictory programme.