Data

Tools

Indexes

Applications

Experiments

Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

https://github.com/codeforscience/sciencefair

The futuristic, fabulous and free desktop app for working with scientific literature :microscope: :book:
https://github.com/codeforscience/sciencefair

dat desktop-app electron open-access p2p reader science search

Last synced: 4 days ago
JSON representation

The futuristic, fabulous and free desktop app for working with scientific literature :microscope: :book:

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

        





  The open source p2p desktop science library that puts users in control.






  

  

    API stability

  

  

  

    Latest release

  

  

  

    

  

  

  

    MIT license

  

  

  

    

  




> **We've released [:balloon: v1.0 :balloon:](https://github.com/codeforscience/sciencefair/releases/latest)! But we're just getting started. Check out the [roadmap](#roadmap) to see where we're headed.**



---



## Why ScienceFair?



How we access, read and reuse scientific literature is largely controlled

by a few vast publishing organisations. Many wonderful innovations are being

explored outside those organisations, but they are rarely

integrated into the platforms where people actually access science.



**We have a vision of a different, better, future for science.** A future that's more **fair, inclusive and open.**

A future where **people can explore and innovate** and where **users control and customise their experience**.



**ScienceFair aims to help pave the road to that future.** The main thing that sets it apart? **Freedom from centralised control.**



---



We're creating a desktop experience for discovering, tracking, collecting and reading scientific articles that:



- is completely free from external control (e.g. by publishers or platforms)

- helps decentralise the distribution and storage of the scholarly literature

- allows the user to customise their experience

- promotes and integrates open data and metadata

- helps grow an ecosystem of open source tools around scientific literature



## contents



- [downloads](#downloads)

- [technical details](#technical-details)

- [screenshots](#screenshots)

	- [home screen](#home-screen)

	- [search results](#search-results)

	- [selection & stats](#selection--stats)

	- [reader](#reader)

- [development](#development)

- [roadmap](#roadmap)



## downloads



You can download installers or bundled apps for Windows, Mac and Linux from the [releases page](https://github.com/codeforscience/sciencefair/releases).



If you find a bug, please [report it in the issue tracker](https://github.com/codeforscience/sciencefair/issues).



## technical details



Some of the things that ScienceFair does differently:



### A reading experience optimised for Science



We use the beautiful [Lens reader](https://github.com/elifesciences/lens) to render JATS XML to a reading experience optimised for scientific papers.



reader



### Instant multi-source search



Instant search of your local collection **and** remote datasources, only downloading the data requested.



results



### Secure, flexible, distributed datasources



A ScienceFair datasource can be a journal, a curated community collection, a personal reading list... anything you like.



v1.0 comes with the eLife journal by default, and more will follow very soon.



Datasources are append-only feeds of JATS XML articles, signed with public-key encryption and distributed peer-to-peer (using [dat](https://datproject.org/)). This means:



- downloads come from the nearest, fastest sources

- it doesn't matter if the original source goes offline

- only the original creator can add new content

- anyone can create a datasource (tools to make this easy [coming soon](#roadmap))

- your local collection of articles is ready for data mining



And importantly, **datasources you create are private** unless you decide to share them, and **nobody can ever take a datasource offline**.



### Built-in bibliometrics and analytics



Basic bibliometrics are built-in in `v1.0`.



Full analysis and data-mining tools, alt-metrics and enriched annotation will be [coming soon](#roadmap).



selection



ScienceFair also follows a few simple design principles that we feel are missing from the ecosystem:



- we keep the interface minimal and clear

- incremental discovery is the way

- be beautiful



home screen



## development



This project uses node `v8`, ideally the [latest version](https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v7.x/). It also uses the two-`package.json` structure ([what??](https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/wiki/Two-package.json-Structure)).



To get a local copy working, clone this repo, then run



- `npm install` to install dev dependencies

- `cd app && npm install` to install regular dependencies

- `cd .. && npm run dev` to start in development mode



## roadmap



- [x] `v1.0` **proof of concept**:

  - incorporate major new technologies (dat/hyperdrive, lens reader, instant search)

  - core user experience and design

  - development, packaging and distribution architecture in place

  - `1.0.x` releases will be bug fixes and non-breaking improvements

- [ ] `v1.1` **focus on datasources**:

  - more, and bigger, datasources available by default

  - tools for creating and managing datasources

  - interface for creating and securely sharing p2p collections within the app

  - a platform and interface for discovering and managing datasources

- [ ] `v1.2` **focus on enrichment**:

  - altmetrics, updates (e.g. retractions), etc. displayed in context in realtime

  - advanced bibliometrics and data-mining tools

  - annotation and commenting, within the app and drawn from existing sources

- [ ] `v2.0` **focus on user customisation**:

  - a package system, allowing customising and extending key aspects of the experience

  - tools and documentation for making new packages

  - a platform and interface for discovering and managing packages