Research to Reader event programme announced

Organisers of the inaugural Researcher to Reader Conference have announced the full programme for the event, while extending the deadline for the 'early-bird' booking rate until 15 December.

Speakers at the London event on 15 and 16 February will include Vitek Tracz, the founder of BioMed Central and described on Wikipedia as 'the Picasso of science publishing'. He will be joined by Rick Anderson from Utah, a regular contributor to the Scholarly Kitchen, Danny Kingsley, head of Scholarly Communication at Cambridge, and James Evans, an expert in the sociology of scientific research. Topics covered will include authorship, peer review, innovation and discovery.
 
In addition to the speaker programme, there will be a panel discussion on the Economics of Scholarly Publishing, exploring the real costs of open access and the real profits behind the subscription model. Steven Hall from IOP Publishing and the OECD's Toby Green will compare subscription and 'freemium' models, while Danny Kingsley will attempt to persuade them that free-to-access scholarly communication can be made to work.
 
Conference director Mark Carden said: 'There will also be a series of workshops, where delegates get a real chance to participate in the debate, while also getting to know each other better. Attending the R2R Conference is not all about being lectured from the podium, it is also about interacting with colleagues and sharing ideas.'
 
Discounted rates are available for 'early-bird' bookings, returning delegates, librarians, academics and sponsors.  
 
Carden added: 'The event will be at the same venue as last February's ASA Conference (for which this is the successor event), BMA House in Tavistock Square, London. With its magnificent Great Hall, high-quality break-out rooms, and new wi-fi system, it should prove to be an excellent location for the event.'