Abstract

Since the 18th century, Germany is perhaps one of the European countries that has had the most intense public debate on dishonest scientific and academic practices, particularly in relation to doctoral theses. This debate was particularly productive in the late 19th century, giving rise thereafter to the obligatory publication of all doctoral theses as a prior requisite before the title of Doctor can be conferred by any German university. This paper presents the most significant progress regarding plagiarism and academic integrity, especially since the 2011 scandal concerning plagiarism in the doctoral thesis of the Minister Guttenberg, such as the creation of an effective collaborative investigation method for plagiarism in a scientific or academic work using the Internet and social media, which resulted in the «VroniPlag» Wiki. Also, the last two years have seen the definitive consolidation of the figure of «Ombudsman for Science» as a national instrument to prevent, manage and combat scientific dishonesty, as well as the publication in 2013 of a new version of the reference manual in this regard, «Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice». Finally, this paper analyses the conclusions of the German experience about academic ethics from a historical perspective, since its recent achievements and progress can serve as a reference for other European countries.

Abstract

Social networks have become the banner of Web 2.0, which also hosts blogs, wikis and chats. There is a slight dividing line between a social network, a blog and a wiki. Talking about social networks means referring to the next stage of the Internet, as talking about blogs once did. Internet social networks have become an increasingly important phenomenon because some platforms are integrating blogs and wikis on a single interface. But we could ask what new types of communication and business lie beneath these networks; what professional profiles are needed for this new audience. Should media create the networks, or just adapt to the new environments, whence a new journalism based on participation emerges? This paper tries to answer these and other questions.

Abstract

The user participation is one of the principal keys in the web 2.0. The new technologies allow people not only to consume but also create and manage the content in a collaborative environment. The implementation of these new trends in the library context leads to library 2.0. Blogs, rss and wikis, are described. Also, possible applications in libraries are commented and some cases are analyzed.