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The Preprint Dilemma: Good for Science, Bad for the Public? A Discussion Paper for the Scientific Community

The Preprint Dilemma: Good for Science, Bad for the Public? A Discussion Paper for the Scientific Community

This essay is an appeal to the scientific community - researchers, publishers and communicators - to take stock and engage in a discussion of the wider impacts of preprint.

Free Access to Research Papers by 2020? "Impossible Without Radical Steps", Says Robert-Jan Smits

Free Access to Research Papers by 2020? "Impossible Without Radical Steps", Says Robert-Jan Smits

"It's not that difficult to flip the system," Smits continued. "The measures we are thinking about are not rocket science - they're straightforward. The main component: if you get a grant in the future, you can only publish in open access journals," he said.

"Elsevier Is Trying to Co-Opt the Open Science Space, and We Shouldn't Let Them"

"Elsevier Is Trying to Co-Opt the Open Science Space, and We Shouldn't Let Them"

Involving Elsevier in the European Open Science Monitor is a grave mistake according to palaeontologist Jon Tennant.

Unpersuasive: Why Arguing About Climate Change Often Doesn't Work

Unpersuasive: Why Arguing About Climate Change Often Doesn't Work

In the US, where political parties have increasingly staked claims on one side of the issue or the other, beliefs may be more about belonging than facts.

Why Science Breeds a Culture of Sexism

Why Science Breeds a Culture of Sexism

Late-night research, isolation and a strict, male-dominated hierarchy are the perfect conditions for sexual harassment. With colleges struggling to enforce conduct codes, what can be done?

What Most Companies Get Wrong About Men and Woman

What Most Companies Get Wrong About Men and Woman

Research shows the sexes aren’t so different. The solution to women’s lagged advancement is not to fix women or their managers but to fix the conditions that undermine women and reinforce gender stereotypes.

Scholarly Publishing Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It

Scholarly Publishing Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It

Imagine using version control to track the process of research in real time. Peer review becomes a community-governed process, where the quality of engagement becomes the hallmark of individual reputations. All research outputs can be published and credited with not an 'impact factor' in sight.

Until Academic Careers Do Us Part

Until Academic Careers Do Us Part

For academic couples who are committed to living in the same place and pursuing faculty careers, asking for a dual hire—when one person receives an offer and then negotiates a position at the same university for their partner—can be a good option. But it must be approached carefully, and it is far from a sure thing. 

We’re In an Epidemic of Mistrust in Science

We’re In an Epidemic of Mistrust in Science

Polling shows that the number of people who believe science has "made life more difficult" increased by 50 percent from 2009 to 2015.

The Worst of Both Worlds: Hybrid Open Access

The Worst of Both Worlds: Hybrid Open Access

The Open Access movement was meant to provide universal access to knowledge, however the hybrid model seems to defeat this point by hindering the discoverability of hybrid Open Access articles, and creating more difficulties to disseminate knowledge.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead on Female vs. Male Creativity, Gender in Leadership, Equitable Parenting, and Why Women Make Better Scientists

Anthropologist Margaret Mead on Female vs. Male Creativity, Gender in Leadership, Equitable Parenting, and Why Women Make Better Scientists

“In the long run it is the complex interplay of different capacities, feminine and masculine, that protects the humanity of human beings.”