Researchers around the world love their work, but tight funding is eroding their spirits.

If so, the current funding system shares much of the blame.

Europe's €1-billion science and technology project needs to clarify its goals and establish transparent governance.

Metrics that give a global overview risk sidelining science in developing nations.

The culture of scientific publishing is complex. Some problems need technical solutions, but others require a cultural change within academia.

With high numbers of postdocs emerging from universities, prospective PhD students must be prepared for the fact that they will probably not end up with a career in research.

It can seem like a magic word is needed to get published in the top academic journals. Is open access a genuine alternative?

As someone looking back from a high point in his career, what advice would Martin Hairer give to a young mathematician who was just starting out?

Nobelpreisträger Edmund Phelps spricht Europa Innovationskraft ab. Die Menschen seien zu behütet. Der Kontinent lebe von der Substanz.

"The future of science (& humanity) isn't about funding, it's about supporting scientists to take risks once again."

Recent retraction of two papers on stem-cell research by the journal Nature highlights weaknesses in this self-regulatory framework that scientists need to address.

On the importance of remaining pragmatic due to the risk of collapsing the entire publishing system in an effort to improve it.

Africa has a poor reputation for scientific innovation. But when South Africa jointly won a bid in 2012 to host the world's largest science project, for a radio telescope called the Square Kilometre Array, it hoped to foster a new image.

Arbeitserfahrungen im Ausland gelten in der Wissenschaft als Tugend - Doch viele Forscher kehren nach Jahren des Wanderns nicht mehr zurück.

Es ist höchst eigenartig: Die Schweiz driftet, seit dem 9. Februar mit erhöhter Geschwindigkeit, auf eine gewaltige Bewährungsprobe zu, doch die politischen Parteien bleiben weitgehend stumm.

Scientific publishers producing model copyright licences will make it harder for academic research to be a "first class citizen of the web".

Women continue to face serious obstacles when pursuing a scientific career in Switzerland, with the juggle of family life and research particularly difficult.

Google is allegedly working on a free, open access platform for the research, collaboration and publishing of peer-reviewed scientific journals. At least, that is apparently what one individual wants us to believe.

Something is rotten in the state of academic publishing. But even those of us in the thick of it find it hard to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.

The increasing pace of human discovery is a curse – we need to rethink what it means to publish the results of research.

We need to deal swiftly with fraud when it is identified. But time after time I have watched not only the accused, but everyone around them, be treated with such sanctimonious disdain. by Michael Eisen

Research funding will continue to be haphazard if an anecdotal approach continues to be taken. by Julia Lane

Considering the future of science journalism.

When universities become corporatized, as has been happening quite systematically over the last generation as part of the general neoliberal assault on the population, their business model means that what matters is the bottom line.

Many factors influence success in a science career. Hard work, ambition, flair, and luck played a role in the success of Tim Hunt, who won a share of the 2001 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Hunt's career demonstrates the importance of two additional success factors: playfulness and early independence.

The release of the 2014 Impact Factor Report was being awaited, as usual, with some anticipation. Yet this comes at a time when there is an ever-rising tide of contestation about its value in a radically changing research environment, especially in the developing world.

Researchers working at the interface of disciplines can pursue insights without sacrificing career progress.

It has been a busy couple of weeks across the European Union, but what does that mean for science?

Under current scientific publishing norms, most research – including, but not limited to, the analysis of thin circular objects – is accessible only to high-paying institutions.

According to a study published last year, “most investigators who engage in wrongdoing, even serious wrongdoing, continue to conduct research at their institutions.”