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Professor Mike Thelwall gives inaugural lecture

Professor of Data Science Mike Thelwall recently gave his inaugural lecture at the University of Sheffield, entitled  How helpful are AI and bibliometrics for assessing the quality of academic research? The lecture, delivered in the University's Diamond building, was introduced by Head of the Information School Professor Briony Birdi. It covered Mike's research into whether Artificial Intelligence can inform - or replace - expert peer review in the journal article publication process and what this could look like, as well as to what extent bibliometrics and citation statistics can play a role in assessing the quality of a piece of research. Mike also discussed whether tools like ChatGPT can accurately detect research quality. The inaugural lecture was well attended by colleagues from around the University.
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Self-tracking, running and public health

 Self-tracking - the practice of capturing data about one’s own activities, often through wearable technology - is an ever-growing phenomenon, and one that is firmly established in the worlds of physical activity and public health. Recording statistics about our own activities is becoming commonplace, with our devices prompting us to measure things like step counts, heart rate, calories burned - even the quality of our sleep. Increasingly, this data is becoming linked to our perception of our own health and wellbeing, with healthcare providers even sometimes suggesting this kind of tracking as part of a programme of care. Dr Lee Pretlove - Information School PhD graduate and ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow recently began his 12-month ESRC-funded Fellowship (through the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership) looking at self-tracking specifically in relation to running communities, building on his PhD project and examining what this kind of relationship to our data could mean for physical an

Head of School Prof Briony Birdi awarded CILIP Honorary Fellowship

Congratulations to our Head of School, Prof Briony Birdi, for receiving an Honorary Fellowship from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) - their highest accolade! Professor Birdi is a leading academic and researcher in the field of library and information science and a thought-leader in the fields of reader development and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in libraries. Speaking about the award, she said: "I've learned so much about libraries. And from such fantastic and committed colleagues as I've met through my various committees and groups that I've been involved in in with CILIP. Being able to bring this learning into my teaching, developing new programme a new decolonizing framework all sounds very grand but actually it's just me learning from everyone else. [...] honestly, I'm just delighted. Absolutely delighted to have this. So thank you very, very much." Also awarded were Joseph Coelho and Alison Wheeler. Find

How can we support the employability of international Chinese students in the UK better?

We are pleased to announce the results of a recent project on international student employability, funded by JISC and led by members of the Information School and the Careers Service, including Dr. Xin Zhao, Dr. Andrew Cox, Ms Yiyun Ling, Dr Yuzhen Zhu, and Ms Yingzi Shen. This report offers insights from Chinese employers and alumni regarding international student employability. It also provides practical recommendations for enhancing the employability of international Chinese students in the UK. The report has been distributed to members of the University of Sheffield International Employability Working Group. In June 2023, the Information School successfully organised a follow-up career event to share these findings and support students. If you are not part of the working group, you can access the full report here . The PIE news has also featured the project on their website . We encourage students and staff members responsible for enhancing student employability skills to leverage

Welcome to new students from Head of School Professor Briony Birdi

A very warm welcome to the Information School, the leading school of its kind in the UK, and your new academic home! We are delighted that you have chosen to join us here in Sheffield. As part of our mission to provide world-quality university education in information, we aim to inspire and help our students to pursue their highest ambitions for their academic and professional careers. This is an exciting new start for you, and I hope that you settle quickly into student life here on campus, and in the city of Sheffield. Your time here will pass so quickly, and you will be challenged in many ways, but we hope it will also be rewarding and extremely enjoyable. Your Student Handbook is full of useful information about the opportunities available to you during your time here, and the support you will find to help you to have the best possible experience.  This is an exciting time to join the school. In 2023 we were ranked Number One in the World for Library and Information Management for

CILIP 125: The next generation of leaders

Seventeen of the CILIP 125 List of the next generation of leaders are Information School alumni or students. CILIP members and colleagues were asked to nominate individuals within the profession to “recognise and honour a new generation of librarians, information and knowledge management professionals who drive positive change, make a difference and have an impact across all sectors.” CILIP Honorary Fellow Sheila Webber, leader of the iSchool's Library and Information Services Management programmes: "It's fantastic to see so many of our former students on this list of passionate and talented individuals. It's also great to have two of our current students already recognised for their drive and contribution!" Arved Werner Kirschbaum said:"I felt incredibly honoured and also very happy to be named as one of the CILIP 125, because it felt like a confirmation of the path I have chosen for myself: to become a librarian and devote my life to making a positive diff

Just how good can academic peer review be? Evidence from the near ideal case of theoretical physics

 Academic research normally goes through a peer review stage before it appears in a journal or book. This usually involves an editor selecting two or more scholars from the field that have relevant expertise and asking them to assess the submission. These reviewers then make comments about various aspects of the submission as well as giving an overall recommendation, such as: accept, ask for minor revisions and then accept, ask for major revisions and then reevaluate, or reject. The purposes of this exercise include filtering out flawed studies or papers with little value and helping the authors to improve their work by correcting errors or suggesting additional perspectives to consider. In an ideal world, every paper that passes peer review is error-free, clear and makes a valuable contribution to academic knowledge. In practice, however, there is no absolute truth and so reviewers must make judgements about the extent to which each work is high enough quality to be published. In theo