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Predatory journals: Ban predators from the scientific record

Predatory journals: Ban predators from the scientific record

Universities and colleges should stop using the quantity of published articles as a measure of academic performance. Researchers and respectable journals should not cite articles from predatory journals, and academic library databases should exclude metadata for such publications.

Boon or burden: what has the EU ever done for science?

Boon or burden: what has the EU ever done for science?

More than 500 million people and 28 nations make up the European Union. It will lose one of its richest, most populous members, if the United Kingdom votes to leave on 23 June. Ahead of a possible ‘Brexit’, Nature examines five core ways that the EU shapes the course of research.

Should All Academic Research Be Free And What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About Publishing

Should All Academic Research Be Free And What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About Publishing

It is remarkable that the sharing of academic research was the genesis of the modern web, yet today remains one of the last bastions of non-free content on the web.

How should we treat science’s growing pains?

How should we treat science’s growing pains?

Jerome Ravetz has been one of the UK’s foremost philosophers of science for more than 50 years. Here, he reflects on the troubles facing contemporary science. He argues that the roots of science’s crisis have been ignored for too long. Quality control has failed to keep pace with the growth of science.

Why Academic Leaders Are Afraid of Free Speech

Why Academic Leaders Are Afraid of Free Speech

The coddling of students' minds has resulted in grave restrictions on their peers' First Amendment rights—and university administrators are too fearful to do anything about it.

The fool’s gold of Ph.D. employment data

The fool’s gold of Ph.D. employment data

Making proclamations about the scientific enterprise based on sparse employment and career data about junior scientists has become a common endeavor. But this approach is fundamentally flawed.

Scientists aren’t gods. They deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else

Scientists aren’t gods. They deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else

Experts preaching the ‘truth’ on healthy eating or cancer cures are not immune to the murky worlds of politics and commerce.

Let's talk about preprint servers

Let's talk about preprint servers

After ASAPbio, Cell Press CEO Emilie Marcus was left with many questions about preprint servers and her company's policy towards them.

The developing world needs basic research too

The developing world needs basic research too

The establishment of an agency in Indonesia that will support 'frontier research' is a welcome development, argues Dyna Rochmyaningsih.

Does mobility boost early scientific careers?

Does mobility boost early scientific careers?

Young scientists are expected to change country and jobs every few years on average to get a chance to progress their academic career. Mobility in science stems from a long tradition. It is favoured for bringing very enriching experiences. But post docs and their scientific work do not always benefit from mobility. Here, EuroScientist looks into how being on the move every few years affects the life of researchers and looks at ways of enhancing work/life balance.

Why is scientific sexism so intractably resistant to reform?

Why is scientific sexism so intractably resistant to reform?

Harassment drove me out of physics 30 years ago and little has changed. Why is scientific sexism so intractable?

Why aren’t there more women in science? The industry structure is sexist

Why aren’t there more women in science? The industry structure is sexist

Women outnumber men in a raft of science courses – but when they start their careers, they find many insurmountable barriers.

Sci-Hub: What It Is and Why It Matters

Sci-Hub: What It Is and Why It Matters

The controversies surrounding Sci-Hub touch on many hot-button topics in librarianship. This primer lays out multiple perspectives on the issues.