What is the Rogue Scholar?

The Rogue Scholar improves your science blog in important ways, including full-text search, long-term archiving, and DOIs and metadata.

Full-Text Search

Most blogging platforms don't support full-text search (which requires a backend service such Elasticsearch), and instead use tags to classify content. In addition, the search typically is local to the blog, and doesn't find related content on other blogs. The Rogue Scholar uses the InvenioRDM (opens in a new tab) software to provide full-text search using the OpenSearch (opens in a new tab) (a fork of the Elasticsearch software) backend service.

Long-Term Archiving

Blog content is typically not available long-term, in particular for blogs maintained by individuals or time-limited projects. The InvenioRDM software powering the Rogue Scholar can provide long-term archiving when backed by an organization such as a library that focusses on long-term archiving.

DOIs and Metadata

DOIs and consistent metadata facilitate Full-Text Search and Long-Term Archiving. Metadata such as language, subject area, title, abstract and author names support discovery. DOI registration helps with URL changes as URLs not only change paths with platform changes (which can be resolved with redirection on the host), but may also change hosts. A special use case is a blog that stopped publishing, and where the DOI can then transparently redirect to the Long-Term Archive. Using DOIs for scholar blogs thus greatly enhances their discoverability and persistence, making it far easier for science blog posts to become part of the scholarly record by citing them.