Beach, bath, bus, bed… not just a good plan for the weekend but some of the reasons given for producing paper copies of journals instead of switching to online only. The four Bs (thanks Geoff) are all places where you’d rather have a printed journal than a PDF on a USB stick.
Almost all of the scientist-turned-editors straw polled inside Web Publishing said that they’ve read papers while on beach holidays before, but maybe they’re freaks that’s just selection bias – editors are paid to read papers, after all.
How about you? Do you take reviews to the tub? Scan papers in the pub? Click on the links below to participate in the public poll, we can analyze the results in a week or two.
B for backgarden?
Hey, Euan, it’s been too long since your last post.
The poll is a bit confounded by social factors: for example, if I were going to spend personal time reading the scientific literature, I’d certainly do it on paper, but…well, there you go. I’m a mutant who prefers to keep my home life…homely.
As a rule I always prefer reading hard copies of papers – I can flick between graphs and their discussion in text much more easily, scrawl notes in the margins and go mad with my highlighter pen.
I agree with Jennifer’s point though. I doubt I would ever read a paper on the beach, in the bath or in bed, I’d find it too hard to concentrate and prefer to read for leisure in such scenarios.