Google Scholar introduces concept tracker

There's a new feature on Google Scholar which allows you to look at "what's new" on a particular search -- it uses not just recency of publication, but also a Pagerank-style rating of the author, the journal, etc., to present "important" new works more prominently.

Today we're launching a feature of Google Scholar which will make it easier for researchers to keep up with recent research. From quantum computing to copper binding in prion protein. It's not just a plain sort by date, but rather we try to rank recent papers the way researchers do, by looking at the prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written, and so on. Look for the new link on the upper right for "Recent articles" -- or switch to "All articles" for the full list.

To check it out for yourself, do a Google Scholar search and click on the "Recent Articles" link near the top of the page. Some examples: blogging, learning from the media, discussion networks

The Wealth of Networks

Yochai Benkler of Yale Law has what looks to be a fascinating new book out, called The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. The book, which is described as a look at "how patterns of information, knowledge, and cultural production are changing" and which "shows that the way information and knowledge are made available can either limit or enlarge the ways people can create and express themselves," is out now but is also fully and freely available for download via its own Wiki. If it catches on, it looks like the Wiki itself could be a valuable resource for researchers interested in the networks form and act online.