During the last year a lot has happened in the world of digital scholarship. The movement towards Open Access and Open Science continued to gain momentum, with an increasing number of academic institutions, scholars and journals adopting open practices, including transformative agreements between libraries and publishers. Enhanced data visualisation tools and techniques make it easier for scholars to convey complex information in accessible and engaging ways. Infographics and interactive data dashboards became more common in research publications. There was a growing emphasis on collaborative research platforms and tools that facilitate teamwork across different institutions and locations. We're talking collaborative writing, data sharing, and project management. The field of Digital Humanities also continued to evolve in techniques such as text mining, digital archives, and geospatial analysis to answer questions in the humanities. And, of course, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
At the UFS research support services are already addressing many of these developments and setting up platforms and tools to facilitate digital scholarship developments. The Library and Information Services (LIS) open access initiatives include an Open Access Publications Fund (OAPF) and the transformative agreements mentioned above. This year alone savings have allowed the LIS to contribute R2 million to article processing charges (APCs) related to publishing in open access. The Digital Scholarship Centre (DSC) regularly adds guidance on research processes and tools, and, in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF), created a guide on AI-assisted technology in education.
Digital scholarship increasingly incorporates AI and machine learning tools for tasks like data analysis, natural language processing, and content curation, making research more efficient. The recommended tools in the above mentioned guide evaluates AI tools that can be used in research and education and recommends applications of these tools. To further support the University of the Free State research community, the DSC and ICDF are hosting AI sandboxes. As part of a research project of the ICDF, these sandboxes involve researchers and research support staff interacting with AI tools and providing feedback that will inform policy decisions on AI at the institution. There are 6 sandboxes: AI-powered article analysis, AI-assisted editing, Scientific literature searching with AI, AI test writing, AI-assisted writing, and AI-assisted administrative efficiency.
These are just some of the examples of digital scholarship support provided to the university research community. Keep up to date with new support services and programmes through the Digest, our social media pages, our events calendar, and our guide.
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