opinion articles
Send us a link
Scientific Research Shouldn't Sit Behind a Paywall
The public pays taxes to support research; they should be able to access the results
Binder with Zenodo
Interactive and reproducible repositories powered by Zenodo and Binder.
Universitärer Mittelbau: Ein Königreich für einen Lehrstuhl
Universitärer Mittelbau: Ein Königreich für einen Lehrstuhl
Sie sind die neunzig Prozent, die den akademischen Betrieb aufrechterhalten: Berichte aus dem Inneren eines Systems, das aus der Perspektive des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses so nicht länger funktionieren darf.
Do Authors Have Any Power Over Publishers?
Will authors exercise their market power to put downward pressure on article processing charges?
How I Learned to Teach Like a Scientist
Recently retired, this professor emeritus reflects on how she challenged students to think beyond facts.
"Destructo-Critics" and Mean Bloggers: The Study | Absolutely Maybe
A couple of years ago, psychologist Susan Fiske launched a broadside against science bloggers - since taken offline - packed with name-calling.
We Don't Trust Course Evaluations, but Are Peer Observations of Teaching Much Better?
We Don't Trust Course Evaluations, but Are Peer Observations of Teaching Much Better?
Why colleges and universities that claim to take teaching seriously need a comprehensive and fair system of evaluating it.
The Rise of Junk Science
Fake publications are corrupting the world of research- and influencing real news.
Researchers Reject APC-based OA Publishing As Promoted by Plan S
Lynn Kamerlin, Bas de Bruin and their colleagues have been the most vocal critics of Plan S from the very beginning, braving continuous opposition from certain OA leaders. Now that final Plan S guidelines were released, the chemists publish this Open Letter expressing their worry about a possible dystopian OA future.
The Politics of Open Access in Action
Open access is a movement constituted by conflict and disagreement rather than consensus and harmony. Given just how much disagreement there is about strategies, definitions, goals, etc., it is incredible that open access has successfully transformed the publishing landscape.
What the History of Copyright in Academic Publishing Tells Us About Open Research
What the History of Copyright in Academic Publishing Tells Us About Open Research
Science historian Aileen Fyfe explores how copyright has become intertwined with scholarly publishing.
Research Integrity is Much More Than Misconduct
All researchers should strive to improve the quality, relevance and reliability of their work.
Chief Scientist Calls for Formal Action to Bake in Better Research Practices
"Our focus has to shift from quantity to quality…we must abandon the assumption that a passive apprenticeship system works" Dr Finkel calls for formal action in Nature journal to improve better research practices. Nature published an article by Dr Finkel on 19 February 2019 on how to move research from quantity to
Plan S and the Transformation of Scholarly Communication: Are We Missing the Woods?
Plan S and the Transformation of Scholarly Communication: Are We Missing the Woods?
Plan S has injected a much-needed sense of urgency to the debate about transformation to full and immediate open access, but what are we missing in our focus on the minutiae of compliance?
The Landscape of Open Data Policies
Open Access (OA) publishing has a long history, going back to the early 1990s, and was born with the explicit intention of improving…
Brexit and UK Science
The Royal Society is working to achieve the best outcome for research and innovation through the Brexit negotiations and support continuing relationships and build new ones across Europe and beyond.
Are We Being Wilfully Blind About the Transformation That's Needed in Scholarly Publishing?
Are We Being Wilfully Blind About the Transformation That's Needed in Scholarly Publishing?
The recent fashion for “transformative” Read-and-Publish agreements - are they really what’s needed to deliver affordable open access? An opinion piece.
Can Twitter, Facebook, and Other Social Media Drive Downloads, Citations?
Can Twitter, Facebook, and Other Social Media Drive Downloads, Citations?
A brief review of studies linking social media and article-level performance.
Are Preprints Paving the Way to Science in Real Time?
It is undeniable that preprints are a growing force in the scholarly communication landscape - but what does their future look like?
Broken Scientific Publishing Models and Fee Structures
The world's first and longest-running scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society began publishing in 1665, and it…
Standardisation and Difference: the Challenges of Infrastructures for Open Access
Standardisation and Difference: the Challenges of Infrastructures for Open Access
In the last few years, there has been a marked shift in the debate on open access publishing from a focus on (mere) outputs to one on infrastructures. With terms such as 'community-led', 'the commons' and 'governance' regularly bandied about, advocates for OA are increasingly looking away from commercial publishers and towards infrastructures designed by …
Why Some Climate Scientists Are Saying No to Flying
Limiting air travel to reduce carbon footprint works for some academics, but not everyone is onboard
The Death of the Literature Review and the Rise of the Dynamic Knowledge Map
Almost every academic article starts with a literature review. However, although these short research summaries can be beneficial they also introduce opportunities for unverifiable misrepresentation and self-aggrandizement.
Posting a Preprint Made Our Paper Better
A tale of preprints, publications, and (kind of) open peer review.
Early-Career Researchers Commonly Ghostwrite Peer Reviews. That's a Problem
Early-Career Researchers Commonly Ghostwrite Peer Reviews. That's a Problem
Our Taken for Granted columnist discusses a new report about the practice-and recommendations for reform.
University Presses Shouldn't Have to Make a Profit
Some university presses rely on subsidies because their mission is to expand knowledge - not to publish blockbusters.
Whose Commons? Data Protection as a Legal Limit of Open Science
What legal, as well as ethical and social, factors will ultimately shape the contours of open science? Should all restrictions be fought, or should some be allowed to persist, and if so, in what form?