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Research Communication: Ways to Increase Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Research Communication: Ways to Increase Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

​​ The eLife Early-Career Advisory Group calls for radical changes at eLife and other journals to make science more diverse and inclusive.

Department of Homeland Security Rule Bans International Students from Online-only Instruction Models This Fall

Department of Homeland Security Rule Bans International Students from Online-only Instruction Models This Fall

The new Department of Homeland Security rule prohibits international students from returning to or remaining in the United States if their colleges adopt an online-only instruction model for the fall.

Scientists Scoff at Indian Agency's Plan to Have COVID-19 Vaccine Ready for Use Next Month

Scientists Scoff at Indian Agency's Plan to Have COVID-19 Vaccine Ready for Use Next Month

"Rushed" timeline would create safety risks and undermine credibility of Indian science, critics say

Switzerland Again #1 on European Innovation Scoreboard

Switzerland Again #1 on European Innovation Scoreboard

The European Commission released the European Innovation Scoreboard 2020. According to the ranking, Switzerland continues to be the most innovative country of the continent.

The COVID-19 Infodemic and the Future of the Communication of Science

The COVID-19 Infodemic and the Future of the Communication of Science

This article looks at the balance between speed and uncertainty in scholarly communication, and how technology can facilitate better information travel.

A Survival Guide for Black, Indigenous, and Other Women of Color in Academe

A Survival Guide for Black, Indigenous, and Other Women of Color in Academe

How to protect your bright mind from the drain of everyday racism you may encounter in academic life.

The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus

The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus

New federal data provides the most comprehensive view to date of how Black and Latino people have been likelier than their white peers to contract the virus and die from it.

Data Show Panic, Disorganization Dominate the Study of COVID-19 Drugs

Data Show Panic, Disorganization Dominate the Study of COVID-19 Drugs

This article shows the effort to study treatments has been marked by disorder and chaos, with huge financial resources wasted.

Spain's Coronavirus Antibodies Study Adds Evidence Against Herd Immunity

Spain's Coronavirus Antibodies Study Adds Evidence Against Herd Immunity

Spain's large-scale study on the coronavirus indicates just 5% of its population has developed antibodies, strengthening evidence that a so-called herd immunity to Covid-19 is "unachievable," the medical journal the Lancet reported on Monday.

The New ERA Must Do More for Gender Equality

The New ERA Must Do More for Gender Equality

As we slowly emerge from the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, one thing is clear - it has brought to the front various aspects of gender equality issues in Research and Innovation (R&I), writes Marcela Linkova.

Impact Factor Volatility Due to a Single Paper: A Comprehensive Analysis

Impact Factor Volatility Due to a Single Paper: A Comprehensive Analysis

Publication questions the reliability of Impact Factor (IF) rankings given the high IF sensitivity to a few papers that affects thousands of journals.

Open Up: a Survey on Open and Non-anonymized Peer Reviewing

Open Up: a Survey on Open and Non-anonymized Peer Reviewing

Our aim is to highlight the benefits and limitations of open and non-anonymized peer review. Our argument is based on the literature and on responses to a survey on the reviewing process of alt.chi, a more or less open review track within the so-called Computer Human Interaction (CHI) conference, the predominant conference in the field of human-computer interaction. This track currently is the only implementation of an open peer review process in the field of human-computer interaction while, with the recent increase in interest in open scientific practices, open review is now being considered and used in other fields. We ran an online survey with 30 responses from alt.chi authors and reviewers, collecting quantitative data using multiple-choice questions and Likert scales. Qualitative data were collected using open questions. Our main quantitative result is that respondents are more positive to open and non-anonymous reviewing for alt.chi than for other parts of the CHI conference. The qualitative data specifically highlight the benefits of open and transparent academic discussions. The data and scripts are available on https://osf.io/vuw7h/ , and the figures and follow-up work on http://tiny.cc/OpenReviews . While the benefits are quite clear and the system is generally well-liked by alt.chi participants, they remain reluctant to see it used in other venues. This concurs with a number of recent studies that suggest a divergence between support for a more open review process and its practical implementation.

A List of Practical Ways Non-Black Faculty Members Can Help Dismantle Educational Inequities (opinion)

A List of Practical Ways Non-Black Faculty Members Can Help Dismantle Educational Inequities (opinion)

Non-Black faculty members have the power to help dismantle educational inequities, argue Viji Sathy, Kelly A. Hogan and Calvin M. Sims, and they suggest some practical ways for how to start.

Supporting Faculty Careers Amid a Season of Uncertainty

Supporting Faculty Careers Amid a Season of Uncertainty

As higher education experiences profound upheaval, colleges and universities need to double down on their efforts to better support faculty and their professional development, write Andrew Rosen and Jaime Lester.

One U.K. Trial is Transforming COVID-19 Treatment. Why Haven't Others Delivered More Results?

One U.K. Trial is Transforming COVID-19 Treatment. Why Haven't Others Delivered More Results?

Clinical study has been helped by a simple design, a centralized health care system, and lots of infections

Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Delayed, but July Start Still Possible

Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Delayed, but July Start Still Possible

Investigators say the delay was prompted by changes to the trial plan, called a protocol, while stressing such changes are common.

Former Harvard Researcher Who Harassed Postdoc Sparks Row at Italian Institute

Former Harvard Researcher Who Harassed Postdoc Sparks Row at Italian Institute

A research institute that appointed Pier Paolo Pandolfi as its scientific director has reversed its decision after internal protests.

Inflated citations and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns: the GhoS(t)copus Project

Inflated citations and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns: the GhoS(t)copus Project

The citation count of journals discontinued for publication concerns increases despite discontinuation and predatory behaviors seemed common. This paradoxical trend can inflate scholars’ metrics prompting artificial career advancements, bonus systems and promotion. Countermeasures should be taken urgently to ensure the reliability of Scopus metrics both at the journal- and author-level for the purpose of scientific assessment of scholarly publishing.

How Scientific Research Reacts to International Public Health Emergencies

How Scientific Research Reacts to International Public Health Emergencies

In the present paper, we attempt to characterise, quantify and measure the response of academia to international public health emergencies in a comparative bibliometric study of multiple outbreaks.