Biohackers Encoded Malware in a Strand of DNA
Researchers planted a working hacker "exploit" in a physical strand of DNA.
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New Oxford Policy for RCUK Open Access Block Grant
Oxford researchers are advised that the University’s Research Committee has approved a revised policy for allocating funds from the RCUK Open Access block grant.
Increasingly Collaborative Researcher Behaviour Is the Real Threat to the Resilient Academic Publishing Sector
Increasingly Collaborative Researcher Behaviour Is the Real Threat to the Resilient Academic Publishing Sector
Greater collaboration leading to the growing informal use and exchange of free material between researchers.
Biohackers Encoded Malware in a Strand of DNA
Researchers planted a working hacker "exploit" in a physical strand of DNA.
Here's How Scientists Used DNA to Launch a Computer Attack
Malware can be encoded into a gene and used to take over a computer program.
19 Women Leading Math and Physics
The pipeline of women pursuing mathematics and physics is still dreadfully leaky.
Elsevier Is Becoming a Data Company. Should Universities Be Wary?
For years university researchers have complained that the publishing giant has driven up the costs of journals. Now, as data-sharing becomes more valuable, the company’s shifting focus is raising new concerns.
India's Scientists Are Marching Against Pseudoscience, Religious Intolerance, and Paltry Funding
India's Scientists Are Marching Against Pseudoscience, Religious Intolerance, and Paltry Funding
Budgetary cuts in funding, pseudoscience and growing religious bigotry have left the scientific community worried.
Soon, Nobody Will Read Academic Journals Illegally — the Studies Worth Reading Will Be Free
Soon, Nobody Will Read Academic Journals Illegally — the Studies Worth Reading Will Be Free
It’s a dirty open secret in academia. Scholars work very hard to prove their work is worth taxpayers’ money, but then publish it in journals that are prohibitively expensive—not just for taxpayers but academics themselves.
The Future of Peer Review
It’s very far from perfect, but major changes for the better are underway.
Automatic Jargon Identifier for Scientists Engaging with the Public
Scientists are required to communicate science and research not only to other experts in the field, but also to scientists and experts from other fields, as well as to the public and policymakers. One fundamental suggestion when communicating with non-experts is to avoid professional jargon.
Shake Up Conferences
Emojis, smartphone technologies and revamped guidelines would boost transparency at scientific meetings, say Shai D. Silberberg and colleagues.
Could Publishing Embrace Slow?
A recent book took aim at accelerating administrative demands and the internalized expectation of measurable productivity that have eroded the quality of academic life and work. Is there a corollary for scholarly publishing?
How to Make Your Research Open Access? For Free and Legally.
The infographic shows how to achieve 100% Open Access for free and legally.
The Toll of Short-Term Contracts
As a new French report highlights, early-career researchers face significant challenges landing permanent academic positions—but there may also be some rays of hope.
Science Beam - Using Computer Vision to Extract PDF Data
A new project to convert PDF to XML with high accuracy by complementing existing tools with computer vision technology.
Science With No Fiction: Measuring the Veracity of Scientific Reports by Citation Analysis
Science With No Fiction: Measuring the Veracity of Scientific Reports by Citation Analysis
We propose to use an approach that yields a simple numerical measure of veracity, the R-factor, by summarizing the outcomes of already published studies that have attempted to test a claim.
Silicon Valley’s Weapon of Choice Against Women: Shoddy Science
Support for the Google ‘manifesto’ on gender difference recalls the rationale of eugenics.
A Paper on Field Theory Delivers a Wake-Up Call to Academics
Oliver Rosten believes the postdoctoral system played a role in his friend’s suicide. Disseminating that opinion in a scientific journal took perseverance.
How Can Scientists Foster Public Trust on Instagram?
U.S. adults see scientists as intelligent, but not always warm. This is a problem because people's perceptions of scientists' warmth influence their trust in scientific information. Could scientists be improving trust via social media?
A Collection of Papers that Should Never Have Been Published
A collection of thirteen papers that were intended to be unpublishable. All were submitted to predatory journals to expose non-existent peer review and exploitative practices.
Half of Papers Searched for Online Are Free to Read
Large study of open research analysed reader data from Unpaywall tool, which finds freely available versions of articles.
German Universities Take on Dutch Publishing Giant Elsevier
Consortium seeks country-wide licence for journals at reduced prices.
A Simple Proposal for the Publication of Journal Citation Distributions
Although there are differences among journals across the spectrum of JIFs, the citation distributions overlap extensively, demonstrating that the citation performance of individual papers cannot be inferred from the JIF.
Memo to Research Funders: If You Want Open Science, Try Harder
Kamila Markram, head of open science platform Frontiers, argues research funders must do much more to speed openness in science.
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