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Economic divide taking toll on European science

Economic divide taking toll on European science

The Horizon 2020 programme threatens to siphon away the best scientists from southern Europe.

Altmetric's top 100: what does it all mean?

Altmetric's top 100: what does it all mean?

The top 100 list of Altmetrics is fascinating for what it tells us about communication between scientists, the attention paid to science by the general public, and also for what it tells us about altmetrics themselves.

Die EU darf nicht bei der Forschung sparen

Die EU darf nicht bei der Forschung sparen

Die EU will das Geld für ihr milliardenschweres Investitionsprogramm aus dem Forschungsbudget entnehmen. Besser als ein kreditfinanziertes Investitionsprogramm wäre es, eine EU-weite Steuererleichterung für Forschungs- und Innovationstätigkeiten der Privatwirtschaft einzuführen.

The mysterious case of the bouncing impact factor

The mysterious case of the bouncing impact factor

Research must be reliable and publication is part of our quality control system. Scientific articles get reviewed by peers and they get screened by editors. Reviewers ideally help improve the project and its presentation, and editors ideally select the best papers to publish.

Bringing big data to public health

Bringing big data to public health

Separating the true signal from the gigantic amount of noise is neither easy nor straightforward, but it is a challenge that must be tackled if information is ever to be translated into societal well-being.

Wellcome Trust wants research dreams to flourish

Wellcome Trust wants research dreams to flourish

Director Jeremy Farrar on new plans to support more young scientists and ambitious projects, large and small.

Science journals have passed their expiration date

Science journals have passed their expiration date

Technology has helped so many industries evolve over the past few decades, but scientific publishing, surprisingly, has hardly changed since the first journal article in 1665.

Why isn't academic research free to everyone?

Why isn't academic research free to everyone?

Scholarly articles, filled with indubitable knowledge and analysis, only exist for the general public behind pricey paywalls. So one lecturer is advocating for them to be free of charge.

It's like Robin Hood in reverse

It's like Robin Hood in reverse

Horizon 2020 has a budget of £63bn, but don’t expect a share unless you’re in one of the wealthiest countries and have a string of articles published in top journals.

What can Europe learn from Silicon Valley?

What can Europe learn from Silicon Valley?

Christoph Keese, Manager at Axel Springer publishing house, published his experiences of living in Silicon Valley in a book.